


Stranded

by Redjay27



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A little spooky, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blood and Gore, Don't take it too seriously, I'll give warnings on what chapters have the blood and stuff like that, Keith is done with everyone, Lance is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Multi POV, Pidge is fantastically savage, Slow Burn, Swearing, at least that's the goal, lighthearted stuff, more funny than spooky though, stranded on a galra ship, they/them pronouns for Pidge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-11-29 17:32:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 41,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11445672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redjay27/pseuds/Redjay27
Summary: “Pidge, we need to get off this ship.”“Yeah...about that…see, it’s easier said than done. The ship lost all power. Even the backup systems are drained. And whatever it is that attacked set up some sort of modified particle barrier around the ship. Nothing can get in or out from the looks of it. So yeah, you’ll need to shut that off. The only way to do that is by navigating through a dead and damaged ship which includes jumping the gap to get to the other half, and manually shutting down whatever is keeping it up. All I know right now is that whatever it is, is giving off a reading I’ve never seen before.”“What?!” Both Keith and Lance yelled at the same time.“Until then...it looks like you’re stranded.”





	1. Into the Dark

“Do you ever think about how Allura probably just assigned us our lions based off of the color of our clothes?” Lance whispered to Keith. The two were kneeling next to a wall aboard a galra ship.

 

“Is this really the time to be thinking about these things?” Keith whispered back. He leaned around the corner, peering into the hall to see if it was clear. He had his sword out and he gripped it tighter more out of annoyance at the blue paladin than nerves. By now they’d been on galra ships more times than Keith could count and had seen this exact hallway in every single one. The galra were nothing if not consistent.

 

“All I’m saying is that if you were wearing blue and I was wearing red things would've been a lot different.” Lance replied. Keith turned and gave him a flat look.

“I would ask you to focus if I knew I wouldn’t just be wasting my breath.” Keith said in a sarcastic voice. “C’mon. The coast is clear.” Keith stood up and dashed around the corner with Lance right behind him.

 

“Okay.” Pidge said over the comm from the green lion. “When you get to end of the hall you’re gonna wanna turn le-”

 

“Left then right then take the stairs two flights up. Another right and then the third door on the left is the bridge.” Keith cut Pidge off. He was pretty sure that he could navigate his way through this ship with his eyes closed at this point.

 

“Hey, if you guys don’t need me I can just go.” Pidge said darkly into the comm. “I’m sure there are loads of more important things I could be doing.”

 

“What? No!” Lance said a little too loudly causing Keith to have to shush him. “How’re we supposed to get back if you leave?”

 

“I don’t know. Ask Keith. He seems to have all the answers.” Pidge replied with a huff.

 

“Don’t leave, Pidge. Keith says he sorry. Right, Keith?” Lance whispered desperately. Keith stopped and turned, giving Lance a look that said he was definitely not sorry. “You can’t see it, Pidge,” Lance said. “But he’s nodding.” Keith rolled his eyes and continued down the hall.

 

“Yeah, I doubt that.” Came the reply from Pidge.

 

The two rounded another corner after making sure it was clear. They could hear the metal clangs of the sentry boots fading away but beyond that it was silent.

 

“What’re we doing here again?” Lance asked, breaking the silence.

 

“Do you ever pay attention at the meetings?” Keith replied, his voice a little harsher than he intended.

 

“Haha, no.” Lance admitted with confidence. “I usually zone out.”

 

“That’s not something to be proud of!” Pidge exclaimed over the comms.

 

Keith sighed and said, “We’re here because Pidge came across a message in some galra data that a low ranking commander might be aboard this ship. We’re supposed to capture him and take him back to the castle for questioning.”

 

“If he’s such a low rank why even bother? He probably doesn’t know anything important.” Lance asked.

 

It was Pidge who responded. “Because little info is better than no info, Lance. To be fair, though, Shiro didn’t think it was dangerous enough to send the whole team.”

 

“You know you’ve been in space too long when infiltrating an enemy ship and capturing its commanding officer doesn’t seem that dangerous.” Keith commented more to himself than the others.

 

By now Keith and Lance had made it to the stairs and had climbed the two flights up. He felt his heart rate start to pick up as they neared the bridge of the ship.

 

“So what’s the plan?” Lance asked, a more serious tone to his voice.

 

“I...um…” Keith hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. He was too busy dealing with Lance’s questions.

 

“You don’t have a plan? Typical Keith.”

 

“I’m working on it!” Keith whispered loudly at Lance.

 

“I just need you guys to get me into the bridge.” Pidge chimed in. “There should be a console close to the door that’ll give me access. I’ll be able to determine where this supposed commander is after that. Or at least I hope so.”

 

“You hope so?” Keith questioned.

 

“It’s better than your plan.” Lance replied, coming to Pidge’s defense.

 

Keith didn’t respond. Lance was right but he wasn’t going to admit that. The two rounded the last corner and saw the console Pidge was talking about.

 

“Found it, Pidge.” Keith said, approaching the console. “What do you need me to do?”

 

“Just put your hand on it.”

 

“Put my hand on it?”

 

“Yep, your galra DNA should do the trick.”

 

Keith raised his hand and placed it on the console. The screen started scanning his hand and Keith held his breath.

 

“Aaaaaaand I’m in!” Pidge says. “Give me five minutes and I’ll have a location.”

 

“Five minutes?!” Lance said from where he had been keeping watch. “What’re we supposed to do for five whole minutes?”

 

“Go sightseeing, watch a movie, bond, I don’t really care. See you in five.”

 

Keith looked at Lance only to find Lance looking back at Keith. Keith wanted to say something but he was at a loss for words. He was stuck on a galra ship for the next five minutes with nothing to do...with Lance. How wonderful.

 

“So…” Lance said, rocking back on his heels. “How about that Allura picking our lions based on our clothes question I asked you about?”

 

“I cannot handle you right now.” Keith replied and started walking away from Lance and down a random hallway. He didn’t walk too fast though. They were still in enemy territory and there was no point in being discovered if they didn’t have to be.

 

Lance, having longer legs than Keith, quickly managed to catch up to him. “All I’m saying is that there is no way she could’ve known our personalities after like a five minute meet and greet.”

 

Lance kept talking and Keith did his best to ignore him. When they passed by a door that looked just like every other door on this ship, Keith thought he heard a bang come from inside.

 

“She probably panicked because she didn’t know us. I could’ve been the tech expert for all she knew-”

 

“Shut up.” Keith whispered to Lance, cutting him off and approaching the door slowly.

 

“You can silence me but you can’t silence the truth!” Lance responded, pointing an accusatory finger at Keith.

 

“What? No. Just be quiet for once. I thought I heard something.” Keith pointed to the door and Lance’s posture automatically shifted into a defensive stance. Keith gave Lance a nod before each took position on either side of the door.

 _“One...two...three!”_ Lance mouthed before hitting the open button next to him. The door slid open and the two peered around the frame to see inside. As with the rest of the ship the room was dimly lit with purple lighting. Keith couldn’t see anyone or anything. The room was empty.

 

Sword at the ready he nodded again at Lance before stepping into the room. Lance followed his lead, blaster held in front of him. The two walked slowly into the room. It looked like a storage room. There were large crates spread throughout the room, perfect for hiding. The deeper the two of them walked into the room, the more Keith could hear his heartbeat. He saw a crate that looked like it had fallen over on it’s side and he moved towards it. Each step felt like a million years. His palms had grown sweaty and if he didn’t have a death grip on his sword he was sure he would’ve dropped it. He took a deep breath before moving the crate aside-

 

“Hey guys! Did ya miss me?”

 

Both Keith and Lance jumped a foot in the air at the sound of Pidge’s voice.

 

“Pidge...holy shit...don’t _do_ that!” Lance said, breathing a little heavier than he should have been. Keith had a hand to his chest and was trying to slow his rapid heartbeat.

 

“Aw, did I scare you two? That’s adorable.” Their voice held a mocking undertone that Keith did not appreciate.

 

“Just tell me that you found the commander.” Keith said with a slight edge to his voice.

 

“Nah, he’s not here.” Came the reply. “You can come back. This is a bust.”

 

“Damn…” Lance said with a sigh. “What a waste of time.”

 

“I agree.” Keith said. “Let’s destroy this ship before we leave. At least then it’ll have been worth the trouble.”

 

“I second that!” Pidge yelled through the comm, clearly excited. “Let me know when you guys are at the pick up point and I’ll meet you.”

 

“Got it.” Keith replied before turning to Lance. “Let’s get moving.”

 

The two exited the room and carefully made their way back down the hallway and around the corner. They were halfway down the stairs when the shaking started. Keith grabbed onto the wall for support but saw Lance fall on the stairs.

 

“Is there such things as earthquakes in space?!”  Lance yelled.

 

The shaking lasted for a minute more before stopping. There was silence for just a moment before sirens started blaring.

 

“Did we do that?!” Keith heard himself yell, mostly to Pidge.

 

“I don’t think so!” Pidge yelled back. “I’m not sure what caused the alarms!”

 

“Probably the earthquake!” Lance said, still sitting on the stairs from where he fell.

 

Then there was blackness. Keith and Lance were surrounded by darkness and the sirens stopped. Everything stopped. Only the breathing of Keith and Lance broke the silence.

 

“Earthquakes can’t happen on a spaceship, Lance. I shouldn’t have to explain that to you.” Pidge said over the comm, oddly calm despite the situation. Keith guessed it had to do with the fact that they were safe in their lion.

 

There was another lurch and the sound of metal ripping echoed throughout the ship. Keith tried to hold onto the wall but the force of the lurch knocked him too much off balance. He felt his feet slip out from underneath him and he was falling through total blackness.

 

“Keith!” He heard Lance call moments before he hit something hard and his world went even blacker than it had just been.

 

\-----

 

When Keith came to he wasn’t sure he if it was still dark or if he’d gone blind.

 

“Pidge? Lance?” Keith said, hoping that he wasn’t going to be alone.

 

“I’m here, Keith.” Pidge said over the comm. “Glad to see you’re still with us.”

 

“What happened?” Keith asked, taking off his helmet and rubbing where he had hit his head.

 

“To put it simply, the ship tore in half...I’m not sure why.” Pidge replied, uncertainty evident in their voice.

 

“It what?!”

 

“Tore in half, Keith. I saw the whole thing.”

 

“Where’s Lance? Is he okay?”

 

“I’m here!” Lance’s voice said over the comm. “We got separated but I’m okay.”

 

“Good.” Keith said, placing his helmet back on his head. “Pidge, we need to get off this ship.”

 

“Yeah...about that…see, it’s easier said than done. The ship lost all power. Even the backup systems are drained. And whatever it is that attacked set up some sort of modified particle barrier around the ship. Nothing can get in or out from the looks of it. So yeah, you’ll need to shut that off. The only way to do that is by navigating through a dead and damaged ship which includes jumping the gap to get to the other half, and manually shutting down whatever is keeping it up. All I know right now is that whatever it is, is giving off a reading I’ve never seen before.”

 

“What?!” Both Keith and Lance yelled at the same time.

 

“Until then...it looks like you’re stranded.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and plan to stick around for the next installment. 
> 
> A couple of things to know going into this:  
> 1) I am in love with this little idea and I'm going to try my hardest to keep it funny, lighthearted, and entertaining.  
> 2) I have no idea how long this is gonna be but as soon as I know I'll let you know.  
> 3) I plan to post pretty regularly. At least a couple times a week until school starts. Once school starts it might slow down a little. 
> 
> I greatly appreciate any and all feedback you are willing to give over the course of this fic. It not only brightens my day, but also let's me know that I'm being successful in my storytelling. If you have any questions or just want to scream at me about Voltron you can find me @onlycrapbeyondthispoint or @canyoufeelthelangsttonight on tumblr.  
> See ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	2. Good News and Bad News

“Hey so I have some good news and some bad news.” Pidge said over the comm. Keith was still trying to process the stranded part. He didn’t think he could handle anymore bad news.

 

“I’ll take the good news.” Keith said.

 

“Okay, so most of the ship’s personnel were sentries and they all deactivated when the power went out. So yay for you guys, I guess. Although now there’s gonna be sentry corpses everywhere. Try not to trip.”

 

“Please tell me that was the bad news.” Lance said, sounding just about as done as Keith felt.

 

“No, it wasn’t. So double bad news. I pulled some data from that console before the blackout and according to the logs there were twelve galra aboard the ship.”

 

“Which means there are twelve galra still on this ship somewhere.” Keith finished for Pidge.

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Is there any way to know where they are?” Lance asked, a touch of fear in his voice.

 

“Not until the power is turned back on.” Pidge replied.

 

“Fantastic.” Keith deadpanned. “Well, I’m going to start moving towards the other end of the ship. The sooner we get there the sooner we get off this ship.”

 

“Be careful.” Pidge said. “Even with the flashlight in your armor you won’t be able to see very far in the dark. Also, keep in mind that the galra will be drawn to any light like moths. As far as I know they have no idea you guys are on board. Let’s try to keep it that way.”

 

“You’re just a ray of fucking sunshine.” Lance muttered over the comm.

 

“I try.” Pidge responded. “I’ll try to find out whatever I can about this particle barrier in the meantime.”

 

“Sounds good.” Keith said. He took a deep breath and switched on his flashlight. The light was blinding for a few moments but his eyes adjusted quickly. He took a few minutes to assess his surroundings. He was at the base of the staircase he had fallen down. He bet Lance was at the top and despite it being Lance he was stuck on board this ship with, he wouldn’t have minded trying to meet up with him. There was just one problem. The ceiling had completely caved in, making it impossible for Keith to reach Lance. It looked like he was on his own. He turned and saw there were two hallways in front of him. He was pretty sure the hallway to the left would take him towards the other end of the ship but he couldn’t be certain.

 

“Hey Pidge.” Keith said into his comm.

“Hmm? What’s up?”

 

“Any chance you have a map of this place handy? Even a map of some other galra ship would help.” Keith asked.

 

“Well I did.” Pidge replied.

 

“What do you mean you did?”

 

“It’s actually a really funny story. You’re just gonna love this-”

 

“Pidge!”

 

“I deleted it!” Pidge’s voice sounded guilty.

 

“You deleted it? Why would you delete the map?!” Keith was not pleased with the situation he had found himself in and it just kept getting worse.

 

“I was upset, okay?” Pidge said defensively. “I’m the navigator! That’s my thing. And then you had to go and be like: Left then right then take the stairs two flights up. Another right and then the third door on the left is the bridge.” Pidge lowered their voice, attempting to imitate Keith.

 

“I do not sound like that!” Keith said.

 

“My Keith impression is spot on and you know it!”

 

“Ugh!” Keith said in frustration, trying his best not to punch the nearest wall. “Okay, so no map. Perfect. I’ll just go wander in the dark for awhile. No problem.” He decided to go with his gut and took the hallway on the left. He wasn’t afraid of the dark, but being on a dead galra ship completely alone had his nerves on edge. He moved slowly down the hall. Pidge had been right. His flashlight beam didn’t reach very far. Keith strained his ears for any kind of movement in the darkness ahead of him. He couldn’t hear anything but that didn’t mean nothing was there.

 

This was going to be a long mission he decided.

 

\-----

 

Lance had never really been fond of the dark. He was a lights on kinda person and he wasn’t afraid to admit that. So being trapped on a dead galra ship in the dark while glara could be lurking around any corner was not, in fact, his definition of a good time. Realizing pretty quickly that getting to Keith was not going to be an option, Lance had found himself at the top of the staircase. If he was correct he was back on the floor with the bridge.

 

“Pidge.” Lance whispered into his comm, not sure if a galra was close by or not.

 

“Lance.” Came the response.

 

“I think the bridge is close by. I’m gonna go see if there’s anything in there that can help us.”

 

“I doubt it. The ship is dead. It could just be a waste of time.”

 

“This whole mission has been a waste of time!” Lance retorted. “Besides, little info is better than no info.”

 

“I hate it when you use my brain against me!” Pidge said, annoyed. “Fine. Go check it out but be careful. There still might be some galra hanging out around there.”

 

“Careful is my middle name.” Lance replied, a sly grin on his face.

 

“No, it’s Charles.” Pidge said in a flat voice. Before Lance could respond he heard the little click that signified Pidge switching off the comm.

 

He was alone again.

 

“Okay, Lance.” He said to himself. “You can do this.” Lance took a deep breath before he started back down the hall towards the bridge.

 

It was too quiet for Lance’s liking. Although he tried to be sneaky, his footsteps echoed down the hallway. He felt like he was holding up a neon sign telling the galra exactly where he was. He shined his flashlight at the darkness in front of him but it wasn’t enough to settle his nerves. What had Keith said? A right and then the third door on the left? He was pretty sure that was right. Lance came to an intersection and only hesitated a moment before going right. It was only a little while longer that Lance found the door.

“Ha ha!” Lance said. “That wasn’t so hard!”

 

Lance paused. The door was closed. How was he supposed to get in? He tried hitting the button to open the door a few times, hoping that a miracle would happen. No such luck. He was going to have to pry it open. Lance put his bayard away reluctantly. He felt more exposed without it out. He did a couple of arm stretches and jumped around a bit to get his blood pumping.

 

“Okay, door. It’s just you and me. I may not have a magical glowy alien arm like Shiro but that doesn’t mean I can’t take you down!” And with that Lance dug his fingers into the crack in the center of the door. Once he felt like he had a good enough grip he started pulling. His muscles screamed at him as he pulled and he couldn’t help but grunt a few times. The door was opening though. Slowly but it was opening.

 

When the gap was wide enough Lance slide his shoulder through, bracing himself against one half of the door. He put his foot on the other half and began to push using all his weight.

What Lance didn’t know was that once the door was past a certain point it just opened all the way. With a yelp Lance fell forward into the room. He landed hard on...something? It felt like sawdust. He started coughing, having accidently swallowed some.

 

Still coughing he stood up and shined his flashlight on where he fell. It wasn’t sawdust...or it was purple sawdust. It looked like it had been in a neat pile before Lance had fallen in it. Lance turned his flashlight to the rest of the bridge. As Pidge had said all the consoles were dead. There were fallen sentries scattered about the room, having shut down with the rest of the power. Lance counted two more piles of that purple stuff. What was it?

 

“Hey Pidge, I’m gonna scan something and send it to you. I’m not sure what it is but you might have better luck.” Lance knelt down next to the pile he had fallen in and held up his arm to scan it. He then went to the other two piles and did the same. 

 

“Okay, I got it. Hang tight for a second while I take a look.” Pidge replied.

 

Lance took a moment to check the rest of the room while he waited. He half expected a galra to jump out at him any moment. Where had they gone anyway? Out of all the places on this ship he had expected a few to be here.

 

“Okay...so good news and bad news again.” Pidge said. “Also, Keith is here. I thought it would be important for him to hear this too.”

 

“Catch me up to speed, Lance.” Keith’s voice said over the comm.

 

“So, I went back to the bridge to see if there was anything to help us figure out what happened to the ship.”

 

“How’d you get the door open?” Keith asked. “There’s no power.”

 

“Well!” Lance said, overly exaggerating his words. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise that my superior strength was able to get the door open. I mean, have you seen these muscles?” Lance started flexing despite the fact he was in his armor and there was no one around.

 

Keith let out a short laugh. “No seriously, how’d you do it?”

 

Lance, having been knocked off of his high horse was unable to form words for a moment. “But...I-I just….it w-was…”

 

“Use words, Lance.” Keith said.

 

“I can translate.” Pidge cut in. “He said that he really did pull open the door and it took a lot of effort. Also, he wants you to be impressed.”

 

“That is not what I was going to say!” Lance said, miraculously being able to speak again.

 

“Okay, so you pulled the door open and then what?” Keith asked, completely ignoring Lance’s previous statement.

 

Lance sighed, defeated, and said, “Then I fell in a pile of...purple sawdust I guess. Turns out there are three piles of this stuff here and I didn’t know what it was so I scanned it and sent it to Pidge for analysis.”

 

“This is where the good news and bad news comes in.” Pidge said, picking up the story. “The good news is that there are now only nine galra left on the ship.”

 

“Wait…” Keith said. “What do you mean?”

 

“Those piles of dust? It’s galra. Completely vaporized but galra nonetheless.”

 

Lance thought he might puke. “Some of that stuff went in my mouth!” He yelled. “I ate dead galra! Oh, I think I’m gonna die…”

 

“Why would you eat the random purple dust, Lance? That’s like safety rules 101.” Pidge said disgustedly.

 

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Lance replied defensively.

 

“As much as I’d like to talk about Lance eating galra, let’s move on. What’s the bad news?” Keith said, cutting Lance off before he had a chance to go into full freak-out mode.

 

“Oh, whatever vaporized those galra is probably loose on the ship and I have no way of knowing what it is or how to track it. So that’s fun.”

 

Lance felt his blood run cold. Suddenly he was aware of just how dark the ship was and how incredibly alone he felt. He backed up until he was against the wall, his breathing more labored than it had just been.

 

“Guys, we need to get off this ship.” Keith said gravely over the comm.

 

Lance couldn’t agree more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shiz. Two chapters in two days. It's a miracle! Anyway, thanks for reading. I'm really enjoying myself with this fic. I don't usually write stuff this lighthearted (because I'm not very good at it) but I wanted to challenge myself so here we are. Any and all feedback you are willing to give is greatly appreciated.  
> See ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	3. Through the Fear

Keith kept low to the ground, always having one hand on the wall beside him. He used his flashlight as little as possible, flashing it only for a few short seconds so he could make sure he was headed in the right direction.

 

He’d fought galra before. They were hard to take down. And the thought of something that could reduce three of them to a pile of dust being loose on the ship terrified him. To make matters worse, he didn’t even know what “it” was. All he knew was that he needed to get to the other side of the ship as quickly as possible. Every minute that passed on this ship was another minute that his and Lance’s lives were in danger. Keith had known from day one that any day in space could be his last. He had accepted that fact when he agreed to pilot the red lion. But Lance was in the same situation and he was not about to let him die. Not today at least.

 

To be honest, Keith was glad he wasn’t alone on this ship. As cruel as it sounded, he was relieved that Lance was going through the exact same thing as he was. He would’ve preferred Lance to be with him, someone to watch his back and all that. Unfortunately, the staircase ceiling had something else in mind for him.

 

Keith moved silently down the hall, the only sound was his breathing which sounded deafening in the quiet of the dead ship. If he was correct, which was unlikely at this point, he was almost a quarter of the way to the gap between the two halves of the ship. He could be going in the completely wrong direction for all he knew, though. Navigating through a galra ship was much easier when everything was lit up. He really wished he had a map right now.

 

Keith stopped. It was faint but he could have sworn he heard something up ahead. He listened hard, holding his breath. For a few moments there was nothing and Keith thought the darkness must be getting to him. But then he heard it again, louder this time. It was a faint scraping sound. Like something was dragging metal across the wall of the hall he was standing in. Keith didn’t dare move. He had no way of knowing if it was a galra or something else entirely. He wasn’t going to let them know he was here if he didn’t have to. He gripped his sword in his hands and his muscles started to tense up. Beads of sweat dripped down the side of his face and he resisted the urge to wipe them away. Moving right now could be the difference between life and death.

 

The sound grew louder. Whatever it was was moving towards Keith. Keith could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his whole being screamed at him to turn and run, but he didn’t. Then there was a different sound, like a grunt accompanied by heavy breathing. It sounded only about twenty feet in front of him. It was too close.

 

Keith made a snap decision. In one silent movement he darted to the other side of the hall. He hoped the scraping sound was enough to cover his two footsteps. He hugged the wall, hoping that whatever it was would pass him without realizing he was there.

 

“Stupid...assignment...stupid...cargo…” A voice muttered. It was galra.

 

Keith felt his shoulders relax a little. Galra he could handle. This one sounded like he was hurt. Keith bet the scraping sound was coming from the galra’s armor, having to lean against the wall for support.

 

The galra passed Keith without stopping, heading further down the hall. Keith didn’t dare step away from the wall for a few minutes, waiting for the galra to get far enough away from him. His heart was still pounding a mile a minute. Why was that galra hurt? Did it happen during the initial tearing of the ship? Or had something else gotten to him? Keith didn’t know and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. Deciding that it was probably safe enough to continue on, Keith started moving down the hall again.

 

Then he heard a scream. Keith felt his blood run cold. The scream had come from behind him, no doubt it was that galra he passed. Keith half tuned in shock, expecting to see only black. He was wrong. Some distance down the hall was the fadings of a sickly green light.

 

His stomach knotted and suddenly he was running. He didn’t care about how much noise he was making or what could possibly be in front of him. Fear had propelled him into action. He ran as fast as his legs could take him into the dark, expecting at any moment to either see that green light again or run straight into a wall. He did neither.

 

Instead he found himself falling...again.

 

“Shit!”

 

And just like before, suddenly there was nothing.

 

\-----

 

Lance was once again in the hall outside of the bridge. He’d been standing in the same spot for the better part of twenty minutes. He had tried several times to get his legs to move but they wouldn’t. The thought of moving through the darkness with the possibility of getting vaporized at any moment had frozen him.

 

“Pidge.” He finally said, giving up on getting himself to move. “Pidge, I don’t know if I can do this.”

 

“What do you mean?” Came the reply, Pidge’s tone slightly serious.

 

“I mean _this_ . Walk in complete darkness through a ship infested with galra and something that _vaporizes_ said galra. I was okay with the flying space cats, I was okay with the ten thousand year old castle, I was even okay with fighting the universe’s worst enemy, but I draw the line at whatever it is we’re doing.”

 

“So, you’re giving up?” Pidge asked.

 

Lance paused for a second. Was he?

  
“I don’t know…” He finally said.

 

“Well that’s what I’m hearing.” Pidge said harshly. “I’m hearing that you’re a little scared because it’s dark. That you’re going to give up because things got a little dangerous.”

 

“I never said-”

 

“But I guess that’s fine.” Pidge cut in. “I’ll just tell Keith that you’re going to wait in the bridge for him to finish the mission because you’re scared.”

 

Lance felt his face grow hot. “Don’t you dare.” He hissed at Pidge.

 

“But he has to know. That way he won’t be expecting you to meet up with him.” Pidge said in a mocking tone.

 

“You’re not going to say a word to him, okay? There’s no way Keith is going to beat me to the other end of the ship. Not in this lifetime.”

 

“Then you better hurry. He’s got a head start.”

 

Lance heard the comm go dead and a moment later his legs started moving forward. If Keith could make it through this so could he. No way was he going to be beaten again. Lance didn’t know the way to the other side of the ship but he didn’t care. He was going to make it.

 

Lance listened to his footsteps echo down the hallway and he gripped his blaster tighter in his hands. He could feel his fear creeping up on him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and if he could see his arms right now he was sure there’d be goosebumps. But he didn’t stop moving. One foot after another he moved down the blackened hallway.

 

And then something changed. He’d grown used to the sound of his footsteps, the way they bounced off the walls. But something about them changed, echoed in a different way. Lance stopped and backtracked. They changed again.

 

Curious, Lance switched his flashlight on, only slightly worried he’d become a beacon to whatever was on the ship. He quickly found the source of the anomaly. It was an open door. Lance hesitated. Why was the door open? But Pidge’s words came back to him and he moved into the room.

 

He’d been here before. He was sure of it. He and Keith had visited this room before the blackout. He was pretty sure they had closed the doors behind them. At least, he thought they had.

 

Lance went further into the room, being careful not to trip over any of the crates. He thought about opening one to see what was inside but realized he had no way of actually doing that without attracting attention. As he neared the back wall of the room he spotted a crate tipped over on it’s side, open.

 

Confused, Lance approached the crate. He shoved it aside easily. He expected to find nothing. In fact, he would’ve preferred nothing. Then he could move on with his life and get off this ship. Instead what he found was glass. Broken glass to be precise.

 

Broken glass was never good.

 

“Hey, Pidge.” He said into his comm. “I’ve got a present for you.”

 

“If it’s anything like the last present I don’t want it. Believe it or not dead galra wasn’t on my birthday list.”

 

“This is better than dead galra, I promise. Broken glass.”

 

“Gee, thanks.” Pidge said sarcastically. “How did you know that’s what I wanted?”

 

Lance ignored them and scanned the glass. “I just want to know if you can find out what was inside.”

 

“Okay, okay. I’m on it. This could take a while so I’ll let you know when I got something.”

 

“Roger.” Lance stood up and left the room. Back out in the hallway he felt more exposed and the now familiar terror settled into him. He switched his flashlight off and forced his legs to move forward. He just had to keep moving forward.

 

“H-hey Lance.” Pidge’s voice sounded over the comm. They sounded afraid.

 

“What is it?” Lance asked.

 

“I tried to check in on Keith because I haven’t heard from him in a while and he’s not responding. Lance, Keith is gone.”

 

Lance felt his insides twist and thought he was going to puke. Keith gone? He wouldn’t believe it. He refused to believe it. He couldn’t survive this without Keith. He wasn’t allowed to just disappear.

 

“He was a floor below me, right?” Lance asked, his voice unsteady.

 

“Probably.” Pidge responded.

 

“Okay, I’m going to find a way down there and look for him.” Lance straightened his shoulders and began moving forward.

 

“Please be careful.” Was all Pidge said before going silent.

 

Lance was a goof and he knew it. He had taken on the role of keeping the team’s spirits up whether that be by making lame jokes or simply shrugging off a difficult situation. But Lance also knew that there were times a situation should only be treated for what it was and right now he needed to find Keith. He turned his flashlight on and quickened his pace, not caring who or what saw him. Soon he was running. He was not going to let anything happen to Keith, no matter how much he hated him. Lance’s breaths came in puffs as he rounded a corner but he didn’t dare stop.

 

And then he saw the stairs. Not slowing down, he descended the stairs and tried to get Keith on the comm.

 

“Keith? Keith are you there?”

 

There was no answer and Lance felt his heart clench but he was not giving up. He stopped when he got to the floor below him and looked around. He didn’t see anything that could give him a hint at where Keith was. It looked like every other galra hallway he’d been in.

 

Lance, not wanting to waste any time, decided to go down another flight of stairs. He didn’t have any real reason to, it was just a hunch. Halfway down he saw the red bayard lying on the stairs.

 

“No…” Lance muttered, stooping to pick it up. He hurried down the rest of the steps, feeling clumsy and frantic.

 

Keith was laying at the bottom, face up. Lance rushed to him, praying that he was still alive.

 

“Keith?” Lance knelt down next to Keith whose eyes were closed. When he didn’t respond, Lance took his helmet off and placed two fingers on his neck. He held his breath in fear and only exhaled when he felt his heartbeat.

 

“Pidge, I’ve got him. He’s alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little more serious and I do apologize. I promise things will not be so heavy now that they're back together.  
> As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Any and all feedback you are willing to give is greatly appreciated.  
> See ya next time, 
> 
> ~Redjay


	4. Blinded

Keith awoke to a pounding in his head. He tried to think back to what happened. He remembered running and then falling and then...nothing. Why was he running? Keith never ran from a fight so that couldn’t be it. He remembered hiding from the wounded galra...and then a green light?

 

_ And then a green light! _

 

Keith shot up, opening his eyes for the first time. He had to get moving.

 

“Hey! Slow down there, Turbo. Don’t move so fast.” A voice said quickly, clearly shocked at Keith’s sudden movement. Keith turned towards the direction the voice was coming from. Lance sat across the room from Keith with his flashlight on. As far as Keith could tell it was the only source of light in the room. He was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, positioned so he could keep an eye on Keith. 

 

Keith himself was on a bed or at least that’s what he thought it was. It was hard but there was a blanket and pillow so if it wasn’t a bed before, it definitely was now. Keith rubbed his eyes a few time, trying to make them adjust to the new environment. 

 

“What happened?” He asked Lance after a moment. “How’d you find me?” 

 

Although half of Lance’s face was covered in shadow he could clearly see his concerned expression turn into the most obnoxious grin. He really hated that look. 

 

“You fell down some stairs and hit your head, again.” Came Lance’s reply before he burst out laughing. “Ya know, for someone who’s supposedly trained in martial arts you are pretty clumsy. Stairs: two! Keith: Zero!” Lance was wiping tears away from his eyes. 

 

Keith could feel his temper rising. “I didn’t just fall down the stairs because I was clumsy!” He snapped at Lance. 

 

“So, you were pushed then?” Lance said, still trying to catch his breath. 

 

“Well...no.” Keith said, trying to explain as best he could. “I might’ve been chased...maybe.” 

 

“Chased by what?” Lance asked, his composure becoming slightly more serious. 

 

Keith sighed, “I don’t know. Some green light.”

 

“So let me get this straight.” Lance said, on the verge of another laughing fit. “You decided to fall down some stairs because you may or may not have been chased by a light? Did I get that right?”

 

Keith didn’t reply but instead grabbed hold of the pillow that was on the bed and threw it at Lance. His head hurt too much to deal with this right now. 

 

Lance easily deflected the pillow, “Don’t be mad at me.  _ I  _ didn’t chase you down those stairs.” 

 

Keith rubbed his temples in annoyance. Why did it have to be him he was stranded with? 

 

“Are we safe here?” Keith asked, wanting to change the subject. 

 

Lance shrugged. “About as safe as you can be on a dead galra ship. This is close to the area I found you. I think it’s one of the galra’s quarters. I pried one of the doors open and managed to carry you inside. It took me forever to figure out how to close it again.”

 

“How long was I out?” 

 

Lance shrugged again. “Probably a couple hours I guess. Maybe more. Pidge couldn’t be sure how long you’d been unconscious before they tried to reach you. Speaking of Pidge, we should probably let them know you’re awake.” 

 

“Yeah, probably.” Keith agreed. Had he really been out for a couple hours? He found that he was suddenly very glad it was Lance who’d found him and not something else, galra or otherwise. 

 

“Pidge!” Lance practically screamed into the comm. 

 

“I’m right here! No need to shout.” Pidge responded, sounding a little startled. 

 

“Keith’s awake.” Lance said, ignoring Pidge completely. 

 

“Finally. I thought sleeping beauty was going to be out forever.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Nice to hear from you too, Pidge.” 

 

“Actually, it’s good that you woke up. I just got the results back from Lance’s broken glass. What I found is incredible.” Pidge replied. 

 

“Lance’s what?” Keith asked. 

 

“My amazing discovery!” Lance chimed in. “I went back to that room we were in before.”

 

“The one where I heard that sound?” 

 

“That’s the one.” Lance replied. “I found some broken glass and asked Pidge if they could find out what was inside.”

 

“So, why’d ya find, Pidge?” Keith asked. 

 

“Nothing.” Pidge replied, excitement in their voice. 

 

“Okay, Pidge, when this is over we’re going to have a talk about your definition of the word incredible.” Lance said.

 

“No, Lance, just listen. I mean that I found  _ nothing _ .” Pidge said as if that explained everything. 

 

“Yeah, that doesn’t help.” Keith said. 

 

Pidge sighed, “How you survive in your own brains I’ll never understand. I mean I should’ve found something on the glass. Traces of certain elements, minerals, even microscopic organisms but there was nothing. It’s like whatever was in there completely got rid of everything. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

 

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Lance said, his face twisted in confusion. “What could possibly do something like that?” 

 

“My feeling is whatever that green light was.” Keith replied. “Before I fell I came across a wounded galra. He mentioned something about cargo and an assignment. I’m willing to bet that whatever this “cargo” was got loose on the ship. It’s probably what’s been killing off the galra.” 

 

“That makes sense.” Pidge said thoughtfully. “That room with the broken glass was not far from the bridge where Lance ate dead galra.”

 

“Please don’t remind me of that…” Lance muttered from where he was seated, gagging slightly. 

 

“Regardless you’re going to have to assume that the other nine are still alive.” Pidge said. 

 

“Eight.” Keith corrected. “I’m pretty sure that wounded galra is dead.”

 

“Okay, that still leaves eight galra out there somewhere  _ plus _ whatever is killing them.” Pidge replied. 

 

“Well,” Keith said and stood up. His legs were a little shaky but he managed to keep his balance. “We still have to get to the other end of the ship and shut that particle barrier down. We can’t do that by lying around waiting for that thing to find us.” 

 

Lance nodded and stood up. “I don’t like it but I agree.”

 

“Please be careful, guys.” Pidge said, sounding sincere for once. “And Lance?” 

 

“Yes?” Lance replied. 

 

“Please make sure Keith doesn’t fall down anymore stairs.” 

 

“Pidge, did anyone ever tell you you’re a little bit of a dick?” Keith asked harshly, irritation evident in his voice. 

 

Pidge laughed. “More times than you can count.”

 

\-----

 

After Lance and Keith had managed to pull open the door once more, which Lance had noticed was easier with two people, Lance found himself back out in the terrifying hallways of the ship. Although he had to admit they were a little less terrifying with the red paladin around. 

 

He didn’t want to imagine what he would have done if he had found Keith dead at the bottom of the stairs. He remembered how relieved he’d felt when he found Keith’s pulse. And it took everything in him to not freak out until him and Keith were safe in that room. Once he had gotten Keith onto the bed, which wasn’t easy saying as he was in full paladin armor, all Lance could do was wait for him to wake up. He hated waiting but he didn’t dare leave Keith. What if he had woken up while Lance was gone? Instead, Lance spent his time pacing. He made a routine for himself. He would walk back and forth in the room five times and then check on Keith. Then he would stand by the door for a little while to make sure nothing was out there. Then it was back to pacing. 

 

He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous for Keith. He knew he just hit his head a little too hard and would more than likely be fine. He was wearing his helmet after all. But he just felt helpless. He had very minimal medical training and he was the only person who would be able to help Keith. Lance started to picture different scenarios of Keith getting captured, Keith getting hurt, Keith dying…

 

It was too much for Lance to handle and eventually he had collapsed against the wall across from the bed he had placed Keith in. He had watched Keith’s face while waiting for him to wake up. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Keith look so vulnerable. It surprised Lance more that it should have. He hated Keith, don’t get him wrong, but Keith was reliable. Maybe a bit impulsive and explosive at times but reliable. Lance was brave when he needed to be but ultimately he knew he drew his bravery from those around him. Right now Keith was the only thing keeping Lance from flying off the handle. Not that he’d ever tell Keith that. No way. 

 

“Lance!” 

 

Lance jerked his head up, grateful that Keith couldn’t see his face very well because he felt his cheeks growing hot. Even though he knew Keith had no way of knowing what he was thinking, Lance felt like he’d been caught red-handed. 

 

“Y-yeah?” 

 

“Are you just going to stand there all day?” Keith asked, looking back at him.

 

“What’re you talking about?” Lance replied a little too quickly. “I’m waiting on you, mullet.”

 

Keith just sighed and said, “I will never understand you.” 

 

Keith started walking down the hall, flashlight shining in front of him. The two had decided that since there was two of them they could afford to use the lights. Every couple of steps Lance would glance behind them, praying that nothing was going to be there. The two moved down the hall in a tense silence. Lance could practically hear his heartbeat through his chest and the hairs on his neck were standing on end. 

 

“You never told me how you found me.” Keith whispered to Lance, breaking not only the silence but also the tension. 

 

“W-what?” Lance asked, surprised at the statement. 

 

“Ya know, how you found me at the bottom of those stairs.” Keith elaborated, still looking forward. 

 

“Oh…” Lance paused, not entirely sure how he wanted to word his next sentence. “Well...Pidge told me they tried to check in with you and you weren’t responding. And I wasn’t about to let you leave me all alone here on this ship. I mean, I could handle it no problem but what’s the fun in that?” Keith didn’t say anything but Lance knew he was probably rolling his eyes. “So, I figured you were probably a floor below me so I went to find some stairs. Which I did. And I proceeded to not fall down them.”

At that Keith turned to glare at Lance, shining his flashlight right in Lance’s face. Lance held up his hand in front of his eyes, blinking to get his vision back. 

 

“Will you please let that go?” Keith spit at him. 

 

“Why would I ever do such a thing like that?” Lance responded in a mock innocent tone. 

 

“Ugh!” Keith said in frustration and started back down the hall, leaving Lance behind. “Why do I even try?”

 

Lance hurried to catch up to him, chuckling to himself a little. He enjoyed getting Keith riled up. He couldn’t say why but it always pleased him to get under the skin of the red paladin. It had also saved him from having to tell Keith how worried he’d been. That conversation was better left unspoken in Lance’s opinion. 

 

“Thanks.” Keith said quietly. Lance wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination at first. 

 

“Come again?” 

 

“Thanks.” Keith said a little louder. “For ya know, coming to find me and all that.” Keith wasn’t looking at Lance but he didn’t need to for Lance to know just how hard it was for him to swallow his pride like that. Lance decided to give this one to him.

 

“Let’s get off this ship first and then you can thank me, deal?” 

 

“Deal.” Keith replied, sounding satisfied. 

 

“Aw you guys are so cute!” Pidge said over the comm. “Look at you two, bonding and whatnot. Shiro would be so proud.” 

 

“What?!” Lance said too loudly but he didn’t care. “How long have you been listening?” 

 

“Long enough.” Came Pidge’s reply, an ominous undertone to their voice. 

 

Lance was about to say something back when Keith spun around on his heel to face Lance. Lance jumped back a little at Keith’s sudden closeness. With his hand that wasn’t holding his sword Keith reached up and forcibly poked Lance in the chest, effectively shining the light directly into his eyes again. 

 

“You will not forget it this time.” Keith said in a low but threatening voice. 

 

Lance was too shocked and too blind to respond. He didn’t even have time to think before Keith had turned back around and proceeded down the hall. Even though he was wearing his armor the skin where Keith had touched him felt hot. Like he had been electrocuted.

 

What the hell was that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much action in this chapter but that's okay, right? I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless and thanks for reading. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. I must admit that every comment so far has made me smile like a doofus. They just warm my heart and make me want to write more but I digress.  
> Some pretty interesting stuff is going to happen next chapter so stick around and I'll see ya in a few days.
> 
> ~Redjay


	5. Death Grip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the wait. I have spent the last few days up in the mountains with no internet and no cell reception. I tried to get the chapter out before I was cut off from the rest of the world but it just wasn't ready. I would rather have you guys wait a few days for a good chapter than give you guys a crappy one.  
> I apologize one last time for the wait and I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> ~Redjay

Keith was at a crossroads and he didn’t know which way to go. It wasn’t even like he could guess. Usually in a situation like this he would rely on his gut, but his gut had apparently decided to take the day off. So, Keith was left with one option which he didn’t particularly care for: guess and hope for the best.

 

“Lost?”

 

Keith jumped at the sudden voice next to his ear. He spun around, preparing to slash at whatever the voice was coming from only to come face to face with a smug looking Lance. He had forgotten Lance had been behind him.

 

“Lance, I swear if you don’t want to get cut don’t _do_ that.”

 

“Oh please, as if I’d ever let you get the drop on me.” Lance said waving his hand dismissively.

 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Keith muttered turning back towards the two passageways. He still had no idea which way to go. “What I wouldn’t give for a map right about now.”

 

“So, you have no idea which way to go?” Lance asked curiously.

 

Keith sighed. “Not at the moment, no.”

 

“So you’re saying that right now at this very instant you don’t know the correct path to take?” Lance asked, a peculiar undertone to his voice that Keith couldn’t quite place. Against his better judgement he answered anyway.

 

“No. I don’t know which path to take.”

 

“Just to be clear, you have no id-”

 

“No! Lance, I have zero idea which way to go! I don’t know how more clear I can be. I! Don’t! Know!”

 

“No need to yell.” Lance said nonchalantly. “You don’t want to attract any unwanted attention, now do you?” Keith felt his temper rising. He opened his mouth to tell Lance off but Lance spoke again before he had the chance. “Anyway, if you ask nicely I can tell you which way to go.”

 

Keith snapped his mouth closed, taken aback. “What?” Was the only thing he managed to say.

 

“Listen, Keith. It’s not polite to make people repeat themselves. I said that if you ask nicely I’ll tell you which way to go.” Lance gave Keith an innocent smile and Keith felt his blood start to boil.

 

“How could you possibly know which way to go?”

 

“You’re not the only one who's been on a glara ship a billion times.” Lance said rocking back on his heels in an irritating manner. “But I’ll only tell you if you say please.”

 

“I’m not doing that.” Keith said between clenched teeth.

 

“Well, good luck finding your way then.” Lance said, the smile not falling from his face.

 

Keith huffed and turned away from Lance. He didn’t have time for this. He turned towards the hallway on his left and started walking towards it.

 

“I wouldn’t go that way if I were you…” Lance called sweetly from behind Keith. Keith turned and glared at Lance before heading towards the other hall. “Are you sure that’s the way you want to go?”

 

Keith felt like ripping his hair out. Why did Lance always have to be so...well...Lance? Keith, however, knew Lance well enough to know that the two weren’t going to get anywhere until Keith played along. No one said, however, that Keith had to play fairly.

 

Keith took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself and put his bayard away. An important thing to know about Keith was that he was raised in many foster homes. Most of these homes were an every child for themselves situation so Keith had to be very creative with how he could take care of himself. He’d learned how to fight at an early age to keep the bigger kids from taking advantage of him. But that wasn’t the only thing he learned how to do.

 

Keith was still turned away from Lance when he opened his eyes up wide, making sure not to blink. It only took a moment for the water to build in his eyes and another for the tears to start falling down his face. A little proud of himself of still being able to make himself cry, Keith turned to Lance.

 

“Please?” Keith said, making his voice soft.

 

Lance had his flashlight aimed at Keith, giving Lance a full view of Keith’s face. When he caught sight of Keith’s pained expression and the tears rolling down his face Lance’s innocent expression fell into one of panic.

 

“Oh my god. _Oh my god!_ Keith?” Lance’s half reached out towards Keith but Keith backed away from him and forced more tears to spill down his face. “It’s the right path, okay?” Lance’s voice was more alarmed than Keith had thought it would be. “I’m sorry, okay? Please stop crying…”

 

That was all Keith needed to know.

 

“Thanks.” He said, returning his voice to its normal volume and wiping the tears off his face completely. His eyes felt swollen but there wasn’t much he could do about that. “Let’s go.” Keith turned towards the right hallway, pulling out his bayard again and leaving Lance behind with a stunned expression on his face. Keith smiled to himself, satisfied at Lance’s confusion.

 

\-----

 

Lance watched in disbelief as Keith headed down the right hallway. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Keith had been crying. Even more, Keith made himself cry. Since when could he do that?

 

The worst part about it was that Lance had one hundred percent fallen for the act. One look at Keith’s face and Lance would have given him anything he wanted. Lance thought back to when Keith had been lying unconscious, how vulnerable he had looked. It was the same look that Lance had just seen moments ago, fake or not. It made Lance’s insides hurt, like a hand had reached inside him and was moving everything around. And even though Lance knew it was an act he still felt guilty. Guilty that he had hurt Keith and no matter how many times he told himself that Keith had played him, he couldn’t shake the feeling.

 

“Come on, Lance. You don’t want to be left behind.” Keith called back to him in a whisper.

 

Lance shook his head a couple of times, trying to clear his mind of everything that had just happened and hurried after Keith.

 

“That was a dirty trick.” Lance said to him sharply when he’d caught up.

“All’s fair in love and war, McClain.” Keith replied casually.

 

Lance felt his eyes widen but didn’t respond to Keith. Love and war? He was talking about the war part, right? Right?!

 

“Get down!” Keith yelled suddenly and shoved Lance to the ground right before a purple beam flew over their heads.

 

Lance didn’t think. There was no time. He rolled to his right once, moving out from behind Keith and fired back three times in the direction the shot had come from. Keith had already taken off down the hall, no doubt acting on pure instinct at this point. Typical Keith.

 

When Keith got close enough, his flashlight illuminated the two galra that had attacked them. Lance fired again, more confident in his aim now that he could see. He hit one in the chest, causing it to fall with a grunt. Keith had reached them by now and with two slashes the other fell.

 

Lance stood up from the ground, his muscles still tense and his nerves on edge. He hurried down the hall to where Keith was kneeling by the two galra.

 

“Six down.” Keith said when Lance reached him.

 

“Six more to go.” Lance finished for him.

 

“Wait...do you hear that?” Keith said, looking around suspiciously.

 

Lance listened hard. It was faint but he definitely heard something. It sounded like a buzzing but slower and with a deeper tone.

 

“Yeah...what is that?”

 

“I don’t know…” Keith replied softly, uncertainty evident in his voice.

 

The two listened again at the strange buzzing. It sounded mechanical but also not? Lance for sure had never heard anything like it. He felt uneasy listening to the sound and looked at Keith worriedly.

 

“It sounds like it’s coming from behind us...and it’s getting closer.” Keith whispered to Lance. Lance turned around, his heart pounding against his ribcage.

 

“Keith?” He whispered, not even trying to hide his fear. Keith didn’t respond. Both listened and watched the hallway behind them.

 

For a minute there was nothing except for the buzzing which had steadily been growing louder. Lance gripped his blaster in his hands, trying to make them stop shaking. Sweat rolled down his face and his knees had locked in place.

 

Then they saw it. A green light started to glow faintly from around a corner. It was a sickly green color and Lance felt his insides twist. The buzzing was almost deafening now.

 

“Lance!” Keith yelled. “Lance we need to go now!”

 

Lance didn’t move. Lance couldn’t move. He stared at the growing green light. He found that breathing was not an option for him anymore. Lance had never considered dying before but staring at that light he was sure that this was the end for him.

 

“Move Lance!” Keith yelled before grabbing ahold of one of Lance’s hands and prying it from his blaster. Lance felt a warmth in his hand and found himself being pulled backwards.

 

It took him just a moment longer to realize it was Keith’s hand in his and it was Keith pulling him backwards. Lance, focusing on Keith, was able to move his legs again. He ran behind Keith and away from the light. Lance didn’t know where they were going and he didn’t care. All he wanted was to get away from the light so he followed Keith. Occasionally, he would glance back and see the light and fear would grip his insides again.

 

“Keith!” Lance yelled. “Keith I think it’s chasing us!”

 

“I know!” Keith called back. The two rounded the corner and found themselves in yet another hallway. “In here!” Keith said pointing to a door. “Help me get it open!”

 

Lance and Keith gripped the door and pulled. Lance could hear the buzzing growing louder. He tried to ignore it and focus on getting the door open.

 

When the door was opened wide enough Keith held it open and Lance slid through. Once he was inside Lance did the same for Keith. Lance let go of the door when Keith had made it inside and it slid closed with a small click. Keith pulled Lance by the arm to the wall beside the door. They both stood with their backs to the wall and listened.

 

Lance could hear the buzzing grow louder as whatever that green light was approached the room they were hiding in. Lance couldn’t help but hold his breath as it passed.

 

After what seemed like an eternity the buzzing started to grow quieter and eventually Lance couldn’t hear it at all. Even though the light was gone, however, Lance couldn’t stop shaking. He slowly slid down the wall until he was seated. He set his blaster down next to him and looked at his hands. He no longer had his flashlight on but Keith’s was on and it gave off enough light for Lance to see them shaking. Try as he might he couldn’t get them to still. All he could think about was how close he had just come to dying. If Keith hadn’t been there…

 

“Hey, you okay?” Keith asked, kneeling down in front of Lance.

 

Lance looked up from his hands and at Keith’s face. He had a concerned expression but Lance could also see traces of fear. Keith was just as scared as he was. That was a comforting thought. Lance took a deep breath before answering.

 

“Just a little shaken. You?”

 

“I’ve been better.” Keith replied with a half smile.

 

“What was that?” Lance asked.

 

“I don’t know. All I’ve seen is that green light. I don’t even know what the actual thing looks like.”

 

“I’d prefer to not have to find out.” Lance said.

 

“I don’t think we’ll have a choice.” Keith replied, standing up and holding out his hand towards Lance.

 

Lance hesitated for just a moment before grabbing it. Just like last time Lance found Keith’s hand to be warm but unlike when he was focused on running for his life, Lance felt like his skin was charged with energy. It was the same sensation he’d felt when Keith poked him in the chest. It made his heart beat just a little bit harder and his breath catch in a way he’d never felt before.

 

Keith pulled Lance to his feet, not seeming to notice the change in Lance’s demeanor. “I think sooner or later that thing is going to be standing between us and getting off this ship. Next time I see it, I’m not running away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so very much for reading and I hope it was worth the wait. All of the feedback I've received for this has been so positive and so motivating and I just freaking love it.  
> I've said it before and I'll say it again: Any and all feedback you are willing to give is greatly appreciated.  
> See ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	6. Halfway Point

Lance and Keith turned another corner. At this point everything looked the same to Lance. He wasn’t sure if they were headed in the right direction and neither was Keith. Lance was exhausted. All he wanted to do was to lay down in his own bed and sleep for twelve years.  He was tired of constantly having to look over his shoulder. He was tired of not being able to see properly. But most of all he was tired of trying to sort out his thoughts.

 

To put it simply, Lance was confused and he hated being confused. Before this mission everything was clear. He hated Keith. Keith hated him. He enjoyed getting under Keith’s skin and in return Keith would do the same to him. It was a very balanced relationship. Now the scales had tipped and Lance wasn’t sure which side he was on. He had saved Keith’s life and Keith had saved his. Lance knew that two people couldn’t go through something like that without coming out the other end changed. And they weren’t even close to getting off this ship.

 

So the question had to be asked: What did Lance think of Keith? Or rather, what did Keith mean to Lance?

 

Lance stopped walking. He furrowed his brows and stared at the ground in front of him, too deep in thought to notice Keith giving him a worried look.

 

“Pidge, I think Lance is broken.” Lance heard Keith say.

 

Lance jerked his head up at the sound of his own name.

 

“Is he “won’t shut up and I want to punch him” broken or “too quiet and I’m afraid he’s planning something stupid” broken?” Pidge asked, not sounding too concerned.

 

“The second one. Definitely the second one.” Keith replied.

 

“Oh okay, that’s an easy fix. Watch this.” Lance could hear Pidge take a deep breath before yelling into the comm. “Lance! Keith says he’s going to cut his hair to look exactly like yours!”

 

Both Lance and Keith flinched at the loudness of Pidge’s voice directly in their ears. Lance was the first to recover.

 

“I’m not broken! I was just thinking. Also, Keith could never pull off this look. You have to have a certain face for it.”

 

“Hold on, backup.” Keith said, clearly confused. “I have so many questions but I think I can sum up with just one: why?”

 

“When Lance thinks too hard he tends to shut down.” Pidge answered smoothly. “You need to jump start his system in order to get him working again. Usually mentioning your name in some way is enough to pull him back.”

 

Lance felt himself blush slightly at Pidge’s words. “That’s not true!” He didn’t dare meet Keith’s gaze, instead choosing to glare at the ground.

 

“So...what were you thinking about?” Pidge asked, completely ignoring Lance.

“I-I was thinking about…” Lance wracked his brain for something other than the truth. “...the green light...yeah.”

 

“Sure you were.” Pidge said flatly, clearly unconvinced. “But since you brought it up I do have some info for you guys if you’re interested.”

 

Lance let out a small breath of relief that Pidge had dropped the subject. Keith did not need to know about anything that was going on in Lance’s head. Not now. Not ever.

 

“What’ve you got?” Keith asked.

 

“So while you two have been running around in the dark, I’ve been looking into that weird particle barrier. Turns out it’s not weird at all.”

 

“Well that’s good.” Lance said. “It’s about time we got some good news.”

 

“Cool your jets, Zippy, I wasn’t finished. It’s not weird...but it’s _super_ weird.”

 

“That’s not helpful.” Keith said with a sigh. “That’s the opposite of helpful.”

“Will you two please let me talk?!” Pidge said, irritated.

 

Lance glanced at Keith in shock. Keith looked back at him with a shrug. Neither said anything in fear of making Pidge more angry.

 

“Thank you.” Pidge said after a moment. “As I said it’s super weird. As you know the castle’s particle barrier is a combination of advanced science and some sort of Altean magic. It protects what’s inside but also can be used offensively. According to what Coran has told me and my own research, it’s what would be considered a normal particle barrier. The barrier that’s around the ship is nothing like that. It looks the same but that’s where the similarities end. I’ve done some poking at the barrier and it seems that this isn’t actually a barrier at all. It’s a massive energy field that acts as some sort of containment device.”

 

“Containment?” Keith asked, confusion apparent on his face.

 

“That’s what I said.” Pidge replied. “I can’t get in to see the barriers coding without someone manually patching me in. What I have managed to find out though is that it was galra designed and made.”

 

Lance felt his stomach drop. His mind had put two and two together and he did not like the answer.

 

“Pidge, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He asked softly, glancing around at the darkness.

 

“I’m saying that when the ship went down a galra put up the barrier. More than likely to keep something in.”

 

“What could be so dangerous that even the galra are afraid of it getting loose?” Keith asked, his voice steady. Lance was grateful for that. One of them had to keep their cool and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be Lance.

 

“That I don’t know.” Pidge replied. “I’m searching through every galra database that I have access too but I doubt anything will come up. I think the only way to find out what’s really going on here is to get to whatever is powering the containment field and shut it down. Maybe I’ll be able to figure out more about what it’s supposed to contain when you reach the power source. Please tell me you guys are close.”

 

“Haha...about that…” Lance said in an innocent tone. “We haven’t even made it to the other half of the ship yet…”

 

“Are you guys waiting for an invitation or something?” Pidge asked.

 

“Hey, this is harder than it looks!” Lance retorted. “We can trade spots if you think you can do better.”

 

“Not in this lifetime.” Pidge replied smugly. “Besides, you getting stuck on a ship with Keith is probably the greatest thing that’s happened since we found the blue lion. You two bickering is better than any tv show.”

 

“I hate you.” Lance said angrily.

 

“Something I can live with. Now get moving you two. My legs are starting to cramp up from sitting in Green for so long.”

 

\-----

 

Keith was overly aware of Lance walking behind him. So much so that Keith had half a mind as to make Lance lead the way. Something had changed between him and Lance but Keith couldn’t quite place a finger on what.

 

He had first noticed the change after they had escaped from the green light. Keith had never seen Lance so scared. Lance in his own way was a man of action. He wouldn’t hesitate to do what he thought needed to be done whether that be flirting with alien girls, trying to lighten the mood with one of his dumb jokes, or coming up with a plan on the spot. When Keith saw him frozen in fear he couldn’t help but look at Lance differently. Sure he was a goof and the worst flirt in the universe but he was also vulnerable and uncertain and terrified...just like Keith.

 

When Keith had offered his hand to Lance he hadn’t expect to be thrown so off balance. He found that he didn’t just want to get off this ship and return to the castle, but more than anything he wanted to protect Lance. He wanted to protect the Lance he saw frozen in fear. The Lance that was visibly shaking after their encounter with the green light. The Lance that was lost too deep in thought to notice how worried Keith had been when he wasn’t acting himself.

 

Keith had found a new determination in leaving this ship alive and it surprised him that he found it in Lance.

 

Keith turned what seemed to be the thousandth corner and almost ran smack into a purple barrier. Keith felt himself tense up for just a moment before relaxing. He turned to Lance who had stopped behind him.

 

“I think we’ve made it to the halfway point.” Keith pointed at the barrier and what lay beyond it. Keith could see a little ways past the barrier where the ship had torn in half. It wasn’t a clean cut for he could see where the metal had been ripped off and was now floating in space. It had created a debris field that was going to be more than a little difficult to navigate through. Keith could also see the other half of the ship which, if he had to guess, appeared to be about a half a mile away. The thing that caught Keith most off guard, though, was the purple barrier that was surrounding the two halves of the ship. Pidge was right. It did look like a normal particle barrier but Keith knew it wasn’t. He resisted the urge to shudder at the thought of coming face to face with the green light again.

 

“Pidge. We’ve made it to the gap between the two parts of the ship but there’s some galra airlock seal in our way and that debris field looks like it’s going to be trouble.” Keith said into the comm.

 

“Have no fear, Pidge is here!” Pidge exclaimed before Keith saw the green lion come into view on the other side of the containment field. “Man, is it good to actually see you guys.”

 

“Likewise.” Keith said, a small smile touching his face before he was shoved aside by an overzealous Lance. Keith watched in amusement as Lance pressed his nose up against the airlock seal.

 

“Pidge, I have never been so happy to see you in my life!” Lance said, his voice slightly muffled by the seal.

 

“Aw, don’t make me blush.” Pidge said teasingly.

 

“So how do we get through this thing?” Keith asked, gesturing to the seal. “And how is it even operational right now? I thought all the power had been drained from the ship.”

 

“It looks like the seals are being powered by the same thing that’s powering the containment field.” Pidge answered.

 

“So, how’re we supposed to shut them down?” Lance asked, knocking on the seal a few times with his fist. Keith wasn’t surprised to see that nothing happened.

 

“I don’t know.” Pidge said.

 

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Keith asked.

 

“I mean _I don’t know.”_ Pidge said a little louder. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise I was supposed to have all the answers all the time. Let me just pull the solution out of thin air.”

 

“We get it, Pidge.” Lance said in a flat voice.

 

Keith looked at the seal for a minute. It was galra tech; the purple color was a dead give away.

 

“Pidge!” Keith said suddenly, an idea popping into his head. “I’m gonna use my hand.”

 

“You mean like you’re gonna punch it? Sorry, Keith, I don’t think that’ll work.”

 

“No. Why does everyone always assume I want to punch things? I meant that I may be able to give you access to the seal and you can shut it down. Kinda like I did with the bridge console.” Keith replied.

 

“Actually...yeah that should work. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that…” Pidge said, sounding slightly embarrassed.

 

“We can’t all be perfect.” Lance said casually, still looking at the seal. Keith felt his stomach twist and his breath catch. Keith stared at Lance, not seeming to be able to form words. What the hell did Lance mean?

  
“Screw you too, Lance.” Pidge said with a curt laugh. “Whenever you’re ready, Keith.”

Keith approached the door and raised his hand. “Get ready.” He said to Lance. Lance nodded and adjusted his helmet to cover his whole face. Keith did the same before laying his hand on the seal.

 

“Okay, I’m in.” Pidge said. “Dropping the seal in five, four, three, two…you guys better hold onto something.” Keith and Lance both braced themselves against the wall. “One.”

 

The seal went down and Keith could feel himself being pulled into space. He looked at Lance who was staring determinedly at the debris field they were about to cross.

 

“Follow my lead!” Keith shouted at him and Lance nodded in return.

 

And then Keith let go of the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so very much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I know that I'm enjoying writing this fic. Any and all feedback you are willing to give is greatly appreciated and makes my day a hundred times more fantastic.  
> See ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	7. Red Handprint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!!!  
> There is some pretty graphic scenes and descriptions in this chapter. There's not a ton of blood but it's enough that I thought it needed a warning.  
> Also, this chapter got dark really fast and I didn't do it on purpose. I wanted to keep this pretty lighthearted and fun but I just couldn't get the characters where they needed to go without going a little dark and I apologize. Things will lighten up again I promise. 
> 
> ~Redjay

All Lance could hear was his breathing as he sped towards the debris field. He could see Keith a little ways in front of him and had already decided to follow Keith’s lead. Of the two, Keith was more suited to navigating through the field without getting either one of them killed and Lance knew it.

 

As the two entered the field Lance could feel himself tense up. He kept his eyes fixed on Keith in front of him, mirroring his every move. Keith seemed to turn and dive randomly but Lance followed him without question, making sure to adjust his jet booster accordingly.

 

It wouldn’t have taken them very long to reach the other side had the debris not been so dense but as they passed what Lance thought was about halfway he found that he was enjoying himself a little. Soon he was laughing and yelling in excitement as he followed Keith.

 

“Focus, Lance. This place is dangerous.” Keith said over the comm, his breath sounding a little labored.

 

“Are you kidding?” Lance replied with a laugh. “This is the most fun I’ve had since this mission started!”

 

“Lance you really nee-” Keith started but was cut off by Pidge.

 

“Let him have his fun, Keith. I think he’s earned it.”

 

“Yes! Thank you, Pidge!” Lance said before holding out his arms like superman as he flew through space behind Keith.

 

Keith didn’t respond and Lance took that as a good sign. At this point the two were nearing the other side of the ship. They just had to make it past a few larger pieces of metal. No problem.

 

Except that Lance was having too much fun to notice a smaller piece of metal headed his way. It was moving fast compared to the other pieces, probably having been knocked by a larger piece.

 

“Lance, watch out!” Pidge called but they were too late.

 

Lance turned with just enough time to block himself with his arms from the particularly sharp piece of metal. He felt it cut through his armor like butter and pierce the skin of his left arm. Pain shot up his arm like Lance had never felt before. He heard himself scream but he didn’t remember opening his mouth. He felt himself being pushed backwards as the metal dug further into his arm. His vision started to blur as white hot pain coursed through his entire body. All he could do was scream, not being able to process anything else but the pain.

 

“Lance!” He heard someone call but he couldn’t tell who. “Lance, stay still!” Whoever was speaking sounded worried.

 

Lance, barely able to stay conscious at this point, did what he was told. He didn’t think he could move even if he tried. Every part of his being felt like he was on fire and all Lance wanted was for it to stop.

 

“This is gonna hurt.” The voice said before Lance felt the new sensation of metal sliding out of him. He screamed again, sure that he wasn’t going to be able to hold on much longer. “You have to stay awake, Lance. I can’t get us both to the ship. You have to help me.”

 

Lance forced his eyes open but he still couldn’t see very well. He turned his gaze towards the voice and could make out red and white.

 

Keith.

 

Lance, despite the blinding pain, nodded at Keith. He felt Keith lift his right arm and put it over his shoulder.

 

“Good. All I need you to do is keep your jet booster on. I can do the rest.” Keith said, his voice once again steady. Lance could only manage to nod again. Then Lance felt the two of them moving and the pain in his left arm flared up. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out again. He knew that Keith was trying to keep them steady but every little shift in direction made his arm feel like it was being sliced through all over again.

 

“Open up the airlock seal, Pidge.” Lance heard Keith say right before he felt himself being set down on a flat surface.

 

His legs immediately gave out and he fell to his knees. He held his left arm close to him with his right, wincing as new pain shot up his arm. He looked down and saw his gloved hand covered in red. His own blood. In fact, his entire left arm was covered in red. Too much red. Lance could see a small pool start to form on the floor under where his left hand was dangling.

 

Lance clenched his teeth and looked at Keith who was kneeling beside him. His face was calm but his eyes gave away his true feelings. He was terrified and Lance couldn’t blame him. He was also terrified.

 

“Is he okay?” Pidge asked over the comm urgently.

 

“His arm won’t stop bleeding.” Keith replied, a slight hitch to his voice.

 

“Well make it stop!” Pidge cried desperately.

 

“I’m trying!”

 

Keith and Pidge kept talking but their voices started to sound muffled. Like Lance was under water. He could feel his heartbeat resonate within him. It was too loud and too forceful. Lance felt himself start to sway back and forth. He desperately tried to keep his eyes open.

 

He focused on Keith’s face. He mapped out the curve of his jawline, tight with worry. He followed it up to his cheekbones and then to his eyes. They were a deep purple-gray color. Lance had never seen anything like them before. His eyes held fear and Lance had no trouble guessing at what. He wanted to tell Keith that everything would be fine. He would be fine. But he couldn’t seem to form the words. Instead, Lance shifted his gaze upwards. He focused on how softly Keith’s bangs fell on his forehead. He wanted to reach up and run his fingers through them. To feel how soft his silky black hair really was.

 

Lance could feel his world slow down. He felt himself slipping. So with all the strength he had remaining Lance let go of his damaged arm and reached up. He had meant to touch Keith’s face but only had enough strength to reach his chest. He placed his right hand over Keith’s heart, staining the white of his armor with his blood.

 

The last thing Lance felt was himself falling.

 

\-----

 

Keith grabbed Lance before he hit the ground.

 

“Lance! Lance please wake up!” He called, not caring who or what was around to hear him. All that mattered right now was Lance.

 

“Keith, I’ve still got his vitals.” Pidge said seriously. “He’s alive but you have to get that arm to stop bleeding.”

 

“How?” Keith said, not taking his eyes off of the blue paladin's face.

“I’ve recently upgraded all of our armor.” Pidge replied. “I put a safety feature in case one of us ever got injured. The armor should’ve deployed an altean medicine that temporarily seals wounds around the area of the injury.”

 

“Pidge, his armor is completely destroyed in that spot. There’s no way it can deploy properly in its current condition.” Keith responded frantically.

 

“I know.” Pidge said, their voice tense. “But you’re armor is undamaged. All you need to do is find the compartment where the medicine is kept and spray it onto Lance’s wound...however…” Pidge hesitated.

 

“What, Pidge?” Keith demanded.

 

“I only put one dosage in each set of armor. Lance’s dosage is already used up. Even if it couldn’t reach the spot it would still deploy. If you use yours, well you’re done. There’s no way I can get more to you.” Pidge explained.

 

Keith didn’t hesitate. “Tell me where that compartment is. I’m not letting Lance die.”

 

“It’s on the inside of your left forearm.” Pidge replied immediately.

 

Keith set Lance on the ground, careful not to touch his left arm or move it too much. He then tapped the inside of his left arm and a small compartment opened up to reveal a light blue looking liquid in a vial. Keith pulled it out without another thought.

 

He positioned himself over Lance’s left arm and then sprayed the blue liquid onto the still bleeding wound. It only took a moment or two for him to use the entire vial of liquid. Keith watched in anticipation for something to happen. It didn’t take long. Soon a blue crystallized cast formed over Lance’s left arm, effectively stopping the bleeding.

 

Keith let out a long breath and sat back. “It stopped bleeding, Pidge. We saved him.”

 

“No, Keith. You saved him. Lance would be dead if you hadn’t been there.” Pidge responded, sounding relieved.

 

Keith looked at Lance’s face again. Pidge was wrong. He had failed Lance. He had wanted to keep him safe. He wanted to protect Lance but instead Lance had almost died. Keith couldn’t remember a time where he’d been so petrified.

 

Keith glanced down at his own chest, seeing Lance’s bloody handprint for the first time. It made him feel sick. If he’d been just a little more careful or a little quicker none of this would’ve happened. Why was he always so weak when it mattered most?

 

“I’m going to find a place to hide out until Lance wakes up. Then we’ll see about getting off this fucking ship.”

 

“Sounds good.” Pidge said before the comm went dead.

 

Keith stood up, feeling angry and terrified and a bunch of other emotions he couldn’t put a name to. Without thinking Keith rounded on the nearest wall and slammed his fist into it. The impact echoed down the hallway, disturbing the quiet of the ship. His hand stung a little but Keith didn’t care.

 

Keith took a deep breath before turning back to Lance. “Okay, buddy. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

 

\-----

 

“Shiro? Allura? Anyone there?” Pidge said, trying to hail the castle over the comm for the tenth time since Lance and Keith had been stranded.

 

“We read you loud and clear.” Shiro’s voice sounded back.

 

“Finally!” Pidge said. “I’ve been trying to reach you guys for hours.”

“Sorry, our comms were down for a little bit after flying through a space storm.” Shiro said. “I didn’t even know they had those out here. What’s your status on the mission? How’re Lance and Keith?”

 

“Not good.” Pidge responded. “Lance and Keith got stranded and then Keith fell down some stairs and then Lance ate dead galra and then Keith fell down some more stairs and then there was this light and Lance and Keith ran away like pansies and then Lance got hurt and then-”

 

“Whoa, whoa.” Shiro said, sounding confused. “Slow down and start from the beginning. What happened?”

 

Pidge took a deep breath before speaking again. When they did they told Shiro everything that had happened from the beginning up until Keith said he was going to find a safe spot until Lance woke up.

 

“But Lance is going to be okay, right?” Shiro asked when Pidge had finished.

 

“As long as he gets into a healing pod before the cast wears off.” Pidge replied.

 

“How long is that?” Shiro asked, a worried undertone to his voice.

 

“About twenty-four hours.” Pidge replied. “After that I don’t know what’ll happen to him.”

 

“Okay.” Shiro said. “I’ll gather the rest of the team and head to your location.”

 

“Actually, I have a different idea.” Pidge said quickly. “I’m trying to get more information on whatever the galra were carrying on that ship. Before the ship went down I was able to pull some data from the bridge. I have the location of where the ship was last docked. I think it’s at some galra space station. I need you guys to go check it out and see if there’s any info on what cargo was on the ship.”

 

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked.

 

“Honestly, Shiro, no. I’m not sure about anything. I feel like I’m flying blind out here but if Lance and Keith are going to make it off that ship alive we need to know what’s hunting them. It’s a long shot but it could help.”

 

There was silence for a moment and Pidge thought that Shiro was going to veto their idea.

 

“Alright.” He finally said. “We’ll go take a look. Keep me updated on Lance’s condition and I’ll let you know if we find anything.”

 

“Thanks, Shiro.” Pidge said.

 

“Anything for a teammate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it despite the darkness. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated as always. I've said it before but I'd just like to reiterate that the amount of love this fic has gotten is so amazing and I really really really really appreciate it.  
> I've also updated the tags and characters and whatnot and I'll continue to update it as the story progresses and as I figure out what exactly I want to happen.  
> Anyway, see ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	8. Infiltration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!!!  
> There is mentions of blood in this chapter. 
> 
> ~Redjay

“Alright, guys. Pidge, Lance, and Keith need our help.” Shiro said as he arrived on the bridge of the castle after talking with Pidge.

 

“Wait, why?” Hunk asked, turning in his seat to face Shiro. “I thought it was a simple kidnap a galra commander mission.”

 

“Well, things got a little more interesting…” Shiro quickly gave everyone the short version of what had happened so far.

 

“Lance is hurt?” Hunk said after Shiro had finished. “He really needs to stop doing that.”

 

“He is and time is of the essence. Which reminds me.” He turned to Allura and Coran. “Does this green light thing sound familiar to either one of you?”

 

Allura scrunched her face up in thought. “It certainly doesn’t ring any bells with me. Coran?”

 

“Green light and a buzzing? Sure doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard of. But it is possible that it’s only been evolved for a couple thousand years. There’s no way Allura or I could know anything about it.” Coran replied, stroking his mustache in thought.

 

“Then it looks like we’re still at square one.” Shiro said, sounding slightly disappointed.

 

“So what exactly can we do to help?” Allura asked. Her eyes were fierce and her body tense like she was prepared to jump into battle at any moment.

 

“Pidge needs us to find out what kind of cargo was on the ship Keith and Lance are stranded on.” Shiro replied. “I have the coordinates for the base it was docked at. We need to infiltrate it and relay the data to Pidge.”

 

“Cargo logs?” Hunk asked, confused.

 

“That’s right. They think that whatever is hunting them was stored on the ship as cargo and got loose somehow.”

 

“Well let’s not waste anymore time.” Allura said. “What’s the plan, Shiro?”

 

“So we’ve got a limited team and a limited number of lions at our disposal so this is what we’re gonna do…”

 

\-----

 

“Why am I always stuck with the heavy lifting?” Hunk’s voice asked over the comm. “Can’t someone else be the bait for once?”

 

Shiro sighed for the third time in the last hour. “I’ve already told you. Because your lion can take the most damage in a fight. You have a better chance of making a longer distraction than the black lion would.”

 

Hunk didn’t reply but Shiro could hear him mutter something under his breath. He decided to ignore him and instead said, “We’re in position, Hunk. Whenever you’re ready.’

 

“When this is through Lance and Keith are going to owe me one.”

 

Shiro watched from their hidden pod as the yellow lion shot into view and flew directly at the galra base. Almost immediately shots started to fire from the base.

 

“Taking evasive action!” Hunk called into the comm.

 

“Let’s go!” Shiro said to Coran who was piloting the pod. The pod had been outfitted with Pidge’s cloaking device and was able to approach the base from the back undetected while the yellow lion served as a distraction.

 

As the pod hovered near the back of the base, Shiro and Allura jumped out and jet boosted themselves over to the outer wall. Shiro had no trouble cutting a large enough circle for him and Allura so fit through with his hand.

 

“Okay, Hunk. We’re in.” Shiro whispered over the comm.

 

“Please hurry!” Hunk yelled back.

 

Shiro nodded at Allura before the two took off down the hallway.

 

“Which way, Coran?” Allura asked.

 

“Okay so at best guess the cargo logs are going to be stored on the loading deck. See if you can find a console nearby that you can patch me into.”

 

Shiro, staying close to the wall, hurried down a few hallways until he found a control room. He entered after making sure no one was inside and placed his hand on one of the consoles.

 

“I’ve got it!” Coran said. “According to this map the loading deck is a floor below you guys. Bad news though, the closest elevator or stairs is currently infested with galra sentries.”

 

“Well, good thing I’ve got a magical galra arm.” Shiro said before kneeling and digging his fingers into the floor below him. In moments he’d cut a hole through the floor and was looking down at the loading deck.

 

“That’s one way to get things done.” Allura muttered to herself before dropping through the hole. Shiro chuckled to himself a little as he followed her.

 

The two landed in the middle of the deserted loading deck. It looked like the galra had been in the middle of loading cargo on a ship and had just dropped everything and left.

 

“Well, it’s good to see Hunk’s distraction is working well.” Allura commented, looking pleased.

 

“Let’s find a console before they decide to come back.” Shiro said and led the way over to a group of monitors on the far side of the room.

 

“Just put your hand on it, Shiro.” Allura said as she tapped a few buttons on the screen. Shiro did as he was told, this not being the first time he had to use his arm to get data. “Coran, I’m patching you in.”

 

“Just a tick.” He said. “Yes, this has the cargo log. I’ve got it. You guys can come back.”

 

“Great. Let’s get moving.” Shiro replied and Allura nodded.

 

It only took them about five minutes to climb back up through the hole and find their way back to the pod. When the two were loaded inside Coran sped away from the base.

 

“We’re out, Hunk. You can retreat.” Shiro said over the comm.

 

“Finally! Please tell me you got the data.” Hunk called back desperately.

 

“We got it.” Shiro replied.

 

“Oh thank god. See, that’s how a mission should go. Nothing goes wrong. Lance and Keith should learn something from us.”

 

“I’m sure they’ve got bigger things to worry about at the moment. Let’s get back to the castle so we can get this data to Pidge.” Shiro said, shaking his head a little. “Hopefully, this helps them get back safely.”

 

“You and me both.” Hunk said quietly. “You and me both.”

 

\-----

 

Keith hadn’t moved for hours...or at least it felt like hours. Keith didn’t actually know how much time had passed since he had found a safe place to hide. It had only taken him a short while to find the small room that he and Lance were currently camped out in. Keith had determined that it was a control room for something. It had a bunch on monitors and consoles that were of no use to Keith, powered or otherwise.

 

Lance still lay unconscious and each minute that passed that he didn’t wake up made Keith feel more tense. He knew he was still alive, he could see him breathing after all, but there had been so much blood and Lance looked so pale. Keith just needed to see him open his eyes. Maybe then he could relax a little...just maybe.

 

Keith had taken off his and Lance’s helmets long ago and they rested next to where Keith was sitting. It felt better to not have his helmet on, like for just a little while they weren’t being hunted by a terrifying green light that may or may not be on this half of the ship.

 

He couldn’t keep himself from continuously glancing down at the red handprint positioned over his heart. At first he wanted to rub it off. He wasn’t a fan of having Lance’s blood on him, or anyone’s blood for that matter, but then he decided against it. It was a reminder of the price he could pay if he got careless again. He couldn’t let that happen. Especially to Lance. Especially after what they’d been through.

 

Keith sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes.

 

“Keith? You okay?” A voice said from across the room. Keith’s eyes flew open, hoping it hadn’t just been his imagination. Lance’s eyes were definitely open and Keith could feel his muscles relax. Lance hadn’t moved from where Keith had laid him but his head was turned to look at Keith. His expression was twisted in a mixture of worry and confusion.

 

Keith couldn’t help but laugh a little at the absurdity of the situation. “You’re the one who almost lost an arm and you’re asking if I’m okay?”

 

Lance’s expression was pure shock for a moment before he sat up and looked at his left arm which was still encased in the crystal cast.

 

“I can’t feel it! Keith! I can see it but it’s not there!” Lance turned to look at Keith, his terror plain on his face. “I can’t become Shiro, Keith. I like my arm too much and I’m not ready to lead Voltron. Also black is really not my color and-”

 

“Lance!” Keith yelled, trying to get the frantic blue paladin’s attention. Surprisingly, it worked. “Before you start hyperventilating, a couple of things you should know. First, Pidge told me that the cast has some sort of numbing medicine in it so you won’t feel the pain. Your arm is in bad condition but still very much attached to your body. Second, Shiro is our leader because he’s a good leader, not because he lost an arm. Even if you did lose your arm you’d still be the blue paladin, okay?” Keith decided to leave out the part where he thought Lance would look fine in black.

 

“Oh…” Lance said looking down at his injured arm again. “Alright then.” Lance lifted up his left arm and moved i around a bit. “There is no way I can hold my blaster with my arm like this.” Lance said matter of factly.

 

“I think we should worry about you standing up before we worry about you fighting.” Keith said, standing up himself.

 

“Pssh. Easy. No problem.” Lance said, his voice dripping with confidence.

 

Turns out it wasn’t easy. Lance had lost a lot of blood so he was a little shaky on his feet. He probably shouldn’t have been standing at all but at this point Keith knew they didn’t have much of a choice. It took Lance three attempts and a little help from Keith to stand without falling over.

 

“See? Told you it’d be a piece of cake.” Lance said with a victorious smile on his face.

 

“Color me impressed.” Keith said dryly. Keith kept his eyes away from Lance’s injured arm, not trusting himself to keep a straight face.

 

“Do me a favor and turn my flashlight on for me.” Lance said, thrusting his right arm towards Keith. Keith did as Lance said and was awarded by a bright light directly in his face. He blinked a few times and wiped away the water that started to build in his eyes.

 

When he was able to see again he was surprised to see Lance’s staring at him with a sickened expression.

 

“Is...is that mine?” Lance reached his right hand up towards Keith’s chest but didn’t actually touch Keith. He just let his hand hover above the handprint, like he was too scared to touch it.

 

“Uh...yeah. It’s yours.” Keith replied. He didn’t look at Lance’s face but instead at Lance’s right hand which fit perfectly with the handprint stamped on his chest.

 

“Oh…” Lance said softly before taking his hand away.

 

Keith felt his heart wrench at how vulnerable Lance sounded. He started to feel angry at himself again for allowing something so terrible to happen to Lance.

 

“A-anyway!” Lance said a little too loudly and a little too abruptly. “We should get moving soon. I can walk no problem, but there’s still no way I can hold, let alone fire, my blaster.”

 

Keith had to admit that Lance had a point. He was silent for a few minutes before an idea popped into his head.

 

“We’ll trade.”

 

“What?” Lance asked, surprised.

 

“My sword only requires one hand. So we’ll trade. I’ll take your blaster and you take my sword.”

 

“But I’ve never trained with a sword before!”

 

Keith shrugged. “You hold it at the not pointy end and slash at things with the pointy end. It’s not that hard. Just try not to cut yourself.”

 

Lance looked unconvinced at Keith’s brief tutorial but eventually agreed. The two exchanged bayards and left the room after putting their helmets on again. Keith felt strange holding Lance’s blaster in his hands but it was better than Lance not having any weapon at all.

 

And it was far better than Lance lying unconscious on the floor of a dead galra ship, that much Keith knew for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you found it enjoyable. This was definitely an interesting and challenging chapter for me to write so I apologize if it isn't as good as some of the other ones. It could also just be in my head and it's just as good as the other ones. I don't know. I guess I'll find out soon enough.  
> Any and all feedback you are willing and able to give is greatly appreciated believe it or not.  
> Stay safe and I'll see ya next time! (Which at the pace I've been going lately will probably be tomorrow!)
> 
> ~Redjay


	9. Desperate Changes

It was a bizarre sensation for Lance to not feel his left arm. It was even weirder when he added holding Keith’s sword to that. He felt lopsided and clumsy, but he would much rather have clumsy over weaponless any day.

 

Keith was once again in the lead but was walking at a slower pace than before, probably for Lance’s sake. If Lance was honest with himself he was glad he could only see Keith’s back right now. He didn’t want to have to look at that handprint again. It reminded him what his stupidity had cost them. By getting hurt like that Lance had put them at a disadvantage which Keith didn’t deserve.

 

But now was not the time for Lance to feel sorry for himself. He could do that once he and Keith were off this ship. Lance had to focus on the task at hand and right now it was following Keith down the creepy hallways of the ship. Lance straightened his shoulders, trying to make himself feel more confident.

 

“Do you think that light could’ve followed us over here?” Lance asked after a few minutes of silence.

 

“I don’t know.” Keith replied without looking back at him. “I think it’d be smart to assume that it can. That way it won’t catch us off guard.”

 

“Damn…” Lance said with a sigh. “This certainly isn’t getting any easier.”

 

“We’re almost done.” Keith said lightly. “All we have to do is find that power source.”

 

“Easier said than done.” Lance replied. “Need I remind you that there are still six galra out there and a _thing that vaporizes them_?”

 

“I haven’t forgotten.” Keith said defensively. “I was just trying to look on the bright side…”

 

“Lance. Keith. It’s time to play my favorite game!” Pidge said over the comm, startling them both.

 

“Game?” Keith asked. But Lance already knew what Pidge was talking about.

 

“I hate this game. It never ends well for me.” Lance said moodily.

 

“Oh, come on. You know it’s fun.” Pidge replied smugly.

 

“What game are you guys talking about?” Keith asked, sounding a little irritated.

 

“Good news and bad news!” Pidge practically sang through the comm.

 

Keith sighed. “Let’s start with the bad news this time.”

 

“Sorry, Keithy.” Pidge said sweetly. “I have to start with the goods news or else it won’t make sense.”

 

“Keithy?” Lance asked with a smirk on his face.

 

“It’s endearing.” Pidge replied.

 

“Please just give us the news.” Keith said sounding defeated.

 

“Okay so! The good news is that I got in contact with Shiro and told him what happened. Of course he wanted to rush over here but instead I sent him and the others to the base that this ship was last docked at to get the cargo logs. Their mission was a success...unlike yours might I add.”

 

“Salt in the wound, Pidge. Salt in the wound.” Lance said, not appreciating Pidge’s snark.

 

“Was there anything in the logs?” Keith asked.

 

“That’s where the bad news comes in.” Pidge replied. “The galra really didn’t want anyone to find out about what was on the ship. The data’s there but it’s so encrypted that I’m not even sure where to start.”

 

“So...you’re giving up?” Lance asked.

 

“What? No. I never said-”

 

“Because what I’m hearing is that a little bit of code is too much for the great Pidge to handle.”

 

“Lance-”

 

“But I guess that’s fine. Keith and I will just have to figure it out ourselves.”

 

“I hate it when you use my own words against me!” Pidge yelled into the comm angrily. “Fine! I’ll get you your stupid data but I’m doing it for Keith, not for you, Lance.”

 

Lance shrugged, his mission accomplished. “Whatever works for you, Pidge.”

 

“I just...fucking...hate you so much…” Pidge muttered before the comm went dead.

 

Lance looked at Keith with a triumphant smile. “And that is how you win at the good news and bad news game.”  

 

Keith just rolled his eyes at him. “Let’s get moving.”

 

So Lance was back to following Keith again and since they had no reason to talk Lance had time to get lost in his own thoughts again. He had a hard time remembering the moments before he had passed out. It was mostly a blur and Lance was sorta happy about that. He didn’t think he wanted to remember how much pain he’d been in.

 

What he did remember was the look on Keith’s face when Lance had mentioned the handprint. He had tried to hide it but Lance saw the pain. He saw how Keith refused to look at Lance’s left arm. Was he blaming himself? Why would he do that? No matter how Lance looked at it Keith was not at fault. If anything, Lance owed Keith for saving his life...again.

 

Lance wasn’t surprised though. That was just the kinda person Keith was. He had always carried the full weight of the team on his shoulders. Whether or not he would admit that was a different story but Lance knew. He’d seen what kind of burden Keith chose to carry.

 

Lance glanced down at his left arm that was hanging uselessly at his side. He hadn’t meant to add to Keith’s burden. He could just tell Keith it wasn’t his fault. It couldn’t be that hard, could it?

 

Lance opened his mouth to do just that but found he didn’t actually know what he should say. Would Keith even take him seriously? Lance closed his mouth again, losing confidence. He gripped Keith’s sword tighter in his hand in irritation.

 

Why was talking to Keith so hard all of the sudden? It had never been that way before. What had changed?

 

After a moment something clicked in Lance’s mind. He had changed. Or at least, the way he looked at Keith had changed. He didn’t see him as a rival anymore, that was for sure. But what did he see him as then? Lance didn’t know.

 

Lance was about to contemplate that question when he heard a whizzing sound right by his ears. He he saw the flash of purple as it flew past his head and further down the hallway.

 

“Shit!” Lance said as he turned around. The shot had definitely come from behind him. He held up his hands in order to fire back at them...only to realize he was currently holding a sword.

 

“Swords can’t shoot, Lance…” He muttered to himself as he forced his still not great legs into action. With labored breathing he raced towards the source on the shots, gripping the sword tightly in his right hand. He didn’t notice at first but soon he realized that he was yelling some sort of battle cry. It just seemed the right thing to do while holding a sword.

 

Before he reached the galra that was shooting at him, he saw a streak of blue fly too close to his head. He stopped in his tracks with a yelp and scrambled towards the wall of the hallway. He looked back in shock at Keith who had fired.

 

“Are you trying to kill me?” Lance yelled at him.

 

“You got in the way of my shot!” Keith called back, sounding annoyed.

 

“Whatever!” Lance said in irritation and started moving down the hallway again. He dodged a few shots from the galra as he ran towards them. He could see clearly now that there were three of them. When he was in reach he lunged at one of them with his sword. The galra held up his blaster to defend against Lance’s swing. As the blade and the blaster connected Lance felt a rush of wind against his cheek. He watched as the galra crumpled to the ground.

 

“Yes!” Keith called victoriously from the other end of the hallway. “One down!”

 

“It was almost two!” Lance retorted. “Please don’t hit me!”

 

“Hit the ground!” Keith yelled and Lance dropped just in time to see blue beams fly over his head and directly through where he had just been standing.

 

“Aiming is fun!” Lance yelled from the floor. “You should try it!”

 

“Why is this so hard?” He heard Keith ask. “You make it look so easy!”

 

Lance felt a swell of pride at Keith’s struggle but he couldn’t dwell on it just now. He’d save that for later.

 

Keith fired a few more shots which completely missed the galra he was “aiming” for. Lance didn’t dare move from the floor, afraid that he would get shot both from the front and the back.

 

“Oh, screw this!” Keith yelled and charged the galra. He shot past where Lance was still laying on the floor, Lance’s blaster still gripped in his hand.

 

Lance watch dumbfounded as Keith met the galra in close combat...with his blaster. Keith swung his blaster like a club, knocking one galra square in the jaw and effectively knocking him into the other galra. Not wasting a moment Keith swung again hitting one galra on the side of the head causing it to fall.

 

Despite the situation and the present danger, Lance started laughing. It was loud, obnoxious laughter but Lance couldn’t help it. Keith ignored him and swung the blaster once again, effectively putting the last galra out of commision. Keith then turned to Lance who was still on the ground.

 

“What’s so funny?” He asked, confused.

 

“You can’t shoot for shit!” Lance said, standing up but still shaking from laughter. “You suck!”

 

Keith huffed a little in annoyance. “I still took out more galra than you.”

 

“Yeah, and you almost took me out as well.” Lance replied, wiping his eyes with the back of his right hand.

 

“I did not.” Keith said, defensively. “I wasn’t even close.”

 

“What fight were you watching?” Lance asked. “This is the best day of my life…”

 

Keith stalked off back down the hall, clearly not wanting to listen to Lance’s laughter anymore. Lance followed him, still chuckling softly to himself.

 

“When we get back to the castle remind me to give you a few shooting lessons.” Lance said lightly. “Free of charge.”

 

“I don’t need any lessons.” Keith said grumpily.

 

“Sure sure.” Lance replied, smiling to himself and then following Keith in silence.

 

\-----

 

Keith was dead. He was dead and Lance had killed him.

 

Physically he was fine. He didn’t even get hit in that last fight. Emotionally, however, he was six feet under. The image of Lance’s face laughing like they weren’t in the worst situation imaginable kept running through Keith’s mind. His face had looked so soft. Keith had never seen him like that before. It made his heart hurt...but like in a good way?

 

Keith had been confused at first. He had thought he had just wanted to protect Lance because they were teammates. But Keith now knew it was more than that. Much, much, much more than that. He didn’t want to admit it to himself but he saw no other option.

 

Keith had without a doubt fallen for the blue paladin that was walking just steps behind him.

 

He wasn’t sure when it happened. If he was asked he wouldn’t be able to place the exact time or exact reason. But before he even knew it himself he had been swept out to the sea that was Lance.

 

Keith looked down once again at the handprint over his heart. It had changed too. It no longer represented the consequences of Keith’s inability to protect Lance. Now it represented a promise, not just to himself but to Lance as well.

 

Even if Lance never knew how much he meant to Keith, Keith would do everything in his power to keep Lance alive. And that promise wasn’t going away once they got off this ship. This was the kind of promise that Keith would keep for the rest of his life.

 

Lance had a hold on Keith’s heart and Keith could only hope in the deepest part of himself that someday he’d have a hold on Lance’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.  
> Stay safe and I'll see you next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	10. Fatigue

Keith could feel fatigue creeping into him. His muscles ached and his hands had started to shake. His stomach felt like it was twisting in on itself from hunger. He knew that they were close to getting off the ship but he didn’t think he could continue much longer like this. He wasn’t sure how long they’d been on the ship. With everything that had happened it felt like they’d been stranded for months.

 

“Hey, Pidge.” Keith asked through the comm. “How long have we been on this ship?”

 

“It’s been almost a day since the ship tore in half.” Pidge replied casually.

 

“A day?” Lance asked, shocked. “That can’t be right…”

 

“Well, you were unconscious for a lot of it.” Pidge pointed out. “You guys should stop doing that, by the way. Every time one of you guys gets knocked out it adds who knows how many hours on to this shitty mission.”

 

“I’ll take that under advisement.” Lance said flatly. “I am starving though…”

 

“Same…” Keith said, feeling like he could fall over from exhaustion at any moment. “Also, a few hours of sleep would be fantastic.”

 

“Well, it’s still going to be awhile until I have that data decrypted. You guys could rest in the meantime.” Pidge suggested.

 

“Pidge, that’s the first helpful thing you’ve said this entire mission.” Lance said lightly.

 

“ _Excuse me?!_ ”

 

“Kay, thanks Pidge! Love ya, bye!” Lance sang and then turned his comm off.

 

“If you keep getting them mad at us they won’t help us anymore.” Keith said.

 

Lance shrugged. “Worth it.”

 

Keith shook his head a little and decided to change the topic. “We should find someplace to sleep.”

 

“And eat!” Lance chimed in. “Do...do galra eat?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Why are you asking me?”

 

“I mean…” Lance paused and Keith could see a slight blush form on his face. Keith’s breath caught at the look on Lance’s face but he did his best to keep himself composed. “You’re like, what, half galra…” He trailed off.

 

“Lance,” Keith said in a low voice. “Are you asking if I eat?” Lance didn’t respond, looking at the ground instead. “So, I’m going to ignore that question.” Keith continued, Lance not speaking being all the answer he needed. “We’re near the front of the ship and that’s usually where they keep the prisoners-”

 

“And prisoners eat!” Lance interrupted.

 

“If I had a gold star I’d give it to you.” Keith said sarcastically. “I think it’s pretty safe to assume there aren’t any prisoners on this particular ship but there’s gotta be some sort of kitchen or something nearby.”  

 

“Then let’s go! Before I starve to death.” Lance said excitedly and Lance started walking towards the nearest door.

 

“I don’t know why you’d be hungry. You already ate dead galra today.” Keith said in a sly tone.

 

Lance froze midstep. He whirled around, shooting Keith with a death glare. “For the last time _I didn’t eat dead galra_! Can we please just forget about that?”

 

“Not for at least a couple of months.” Keith replied, laughing a little to himself. It didn’t matter what his feelings towards Lance were. Getting him worked up like this was still fun. “Anyway, genius, how do you expect to get that door open?” Keith gestured to the door that Lance was headed towards. “You’re down an arm if you don’t remember.”

 

Lance looked behind him at the door and then down at his arm and then at Keith, a wry smile on his face. “Oh Keithy…”

 

“You’re not allowed to start calling me Keithy. Not in this lifetime.” Keith said flatly.

 

“Keithy would you be a dear and open this door for me?” His voice was sickeningly sweet and didn’t match the look on his face at all.

 

“No.”

 

“What if I said please?”

 

“Still no.”

 

“Then how do you expect to find something to eat?” Lance asked.

 

Keith didn’t have an answer for that. His shoulders tensed in slight irritation.

 

“Fine!” He finally said and put Lance’s bayard away. “But only because you can’t do it yourself.”

 

“I knew you’d see it my way.” Lance said, satisfied.

 

Keith didn’t respond but instead walked the short distance to the door in question. Just like he’d done many times by now Keith dug his fingers into the crack between the two halves of the door and pulled. It only took him a minute and slightly labored breathing before the door slid open all the way. Lance shined his flashlight into the room. All that was in there were a few dead monitors.

 

“There’s nothing here…” Keith said, stating the obvious.

 

“Moving on!” Lance said, too much in a good mood for Keith’s liking. “Come on, Keith. More doors await!”

 

“This is going to be the worst day of my life…” Keith muttered to himself as he followed Lance down the hallway.

 

Turns out that Keith wasn’t wrong. He spent the next forty-five minutes following Lance around like some sort of dog. Lance would point to a door, claiming that it’s got to be the one. Keith would open it, each time his muscles screaming at him more, only to find that no, in fact, it wasn’t the one. If he wasn’t tired before, he was definitely tired now.

 

Keith couldn’t describe the amount of relief he felt when he opened a door to find what he figured was a kitchen. Along three of the walls where machines with hose-looking tubes sticking out of them. Keith noticed they looked slightly similar to the one in their own kitchen back on the castle. In the center of the room stood racks holding small plates and Keith felt a little sick at the thought of being fed such a small portion. He found himself wondering how Shiro had survived at all.

 

“Well, it’s no five star restaurant but it’ll do.” Lance said, walking further into the room. Keith followed him after taking a few moments to close the door behind him. Lance had approached a machine on the far wall and was inspecting it. “These things need power to work. How’re we supposed to get any food out of them?”

 

“I’m sure the galra won’t mind if we break their stuff.” Keith said casually. Lance turned to him with an evil look on his face.

 

“I like your style, Kogane.” He said and stood up. Without any hesitation he raised Keith’s sword and slashed the hose off the machine.

 

“So that...happened…” Keith said to himself out of surprise. It only took a few more well aimed slashes at the machine before Lance had cut a decent sized hole and purple goo was spilling out of it.

 

“Do you think the galra realize how overboard they go with the purple? Like, has anyone ever told them that other colors exist?” Lance said, staring at the goo that was dripping onto the floor.

 

Keith decided not to answer that and instead grabbed two plates from the racks. He handed one to Lance. “Let’s eat.”

 

\-----

 

Lance had never felt more tired in his life but he wasn’t hungry anymore. He’d take what he could get. He and Keith had decided to move to the room across the hall from the kitchen to sleep, not wanting to wake up in a pile of goo that was still spilling onto the floor. The room they were in looked like some sort of lab. It had a table in the middle and bizarre looking instruments scattered throughout the room. Lance shuddered at the thought of what the galra had been studying here.

 

Keith was currently laying by the wall adjacent to the one Lance had chosen to sit against. He’d been asleep for almost three hours now at Lance’s best guess. Lance had seen how tired Keith was and felt slightly bad for making him open all those doors so he let the red paladin sleep first. They had agreed on three hours of sleep each. Lance would’ve liked to have more than that but felt antsy about staying in the same room for more than six hours.

 

It was true that they hadn’t seen any sign of that green light since they’d arrived on the other half of the ship but Lance wasn’t going to drop his guard. He’d already done that once and paid the price for it.

 

Lance sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was probably time that he wake Keith up so he could get some sleep. Even if it hadn’t been the full three hours he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep his eyes open.

 

Lance stood and moved towards the sleeping Keith. He crouched down next to him and gingerly shook Keith’s shoulder a few times. He half expected Keith to bolt up and punch him in the face or something but he didn’t have enough energy to really care.

 

But Keith’s eyes fluttered open and Lance was pleasantly surprised to see him yawning instead of assaulting him. Keith sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching a little.

 

“Great, you’re up. I’m going to sleep.” Was all Lance could manage to say before walking the few short steps back to his respected wall and collapsing.

 

He was out instantly.

 

\-----

 

The first thing Lance felt was pressure over his mouth. His eyes flew open and he was ready to fight whatever thing had attacked him while he was asleep.

 

He relaxed when he saw it was just Keith leaning over him, one hand over Lance’s mouth and the other one holding a finger up to his lips, telling him to be quiet. Lance nodded at him and Keith removed his hand. Lance sat up, giving a curious look to Keith.

 

Keith pointed to his ear and Lance understood. Lance strained his ears, hoping to god that he wasn’t going to hear that buzzing.

 

It was faint but Lance could hear it. He felt a cold chill run down his spin and sweat roll down his face. He stared at Keith with a mixture of fear and shock. Keith looked as tense as Lance felt but his expression was something that Lance didn’t like. Keith was determined.

 

Keith pointed to their helmets which were on the floor next to Lance. Lance understood and put his helmet on, not really wanting to know what Keith had planned. Keith moved silently to the door and turned his head, listening. Lance followed behind him, his heart racing.

 

The buzzing drew closer and Lance could feel himself shudder at the eerie sound. He felt the now familiar fear settle into him. His gut twisted as he remembered what Keith had said last time they had encountered the green light:

 

_“I think sooner or later that thing is going to be standing between us and getting off this ship. Next time I see it, I’m not running away.”_

 

And suddenly Lance knew what Keith was planning to do and Lance did not like it one bit. He knew it was important to find out what that green light was but there were better ways of doing that.

 

The buzzing was loud now, almost too loud. He could see that sickly green light through the crack in the door and he felt his hands start to shake.

 

Lance had expected the light to start to fade as the thing moved further down the hallway but it didn’t. Lance felt his veins run cold as he realized what was happening. It was right outside the door. Did it know they were in here?

 

Keith glanced back at Lance, a fire in his eyes. And that scared Lance more than the green light ever could. If Keith went out there he would die and Lance knew it. He couldn’t let that happen. He refused to stand by while Keith attempted a suicide mission. He was going to get both of them off this ship whether Keith liked it or not.

 

Keith shot up and reached for the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I can't believe I made it to ten chapters. That's quite an achievement for me. For those of you that have been here since the beginning I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the love and support you've given this fic and me. And for those of you just joining us I'm happy you are here and I hope you decide to stick around.  
> I still have no idea how many chapters this is going to be but I will let you know when we're getting close to the end. I can tell you right now that we still have quite a ways to go so that's fun.  
> As always any and all feedback you are willing to give is greatly appreciated.  
> Stay safe and I'll see ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	11. Falling Hard

Lance watched in horror as Keith dug his fingers into the crack in the door and started to pull. What _the fuck_ was he thinking? Lance needed to stop him and he needed to stop him now.

 

Without much of a plan, Lance jumped at Keith, wrapping his arms around Keith’s chest just below his arms. The cast made it difficult but Lance clenched his teeth and grabbed ahold of it with his right hand. Lance, using all the strength he could muster up, pulled Keith back and away from the door. He pulled too hard though and was unprepared for when he lost his balance and fell, taking Keith with him.

 

He winced as his back collided with the ground, grateful that his armor was there to absorb most of the impact. Keith fell on top of him with a slight grunt. Lance didn’t let go though. He could feel Keith struggle against him which only made him hold on tighter. Lance, using his superior height to his advantage, wrapped his legs around Keith’s waist causing the red paladin to struggle even more.

 

“Lance!” Keith hissed at him. “Let me go!”

 

“Not a chance.” Lance whispered back.

 

Lance could still see the green light pouring into the room and the buzzing was still just as loud as before. Lance prayed that it hadn’t realized they were there. Lance could feel Keith pulling at Lance’s right arm, trying to get him to release him, but Lance wasn’t planning on giving in. He set his jaw and gripped his cast even tighter if that was even possible at this point.

 

After what seemed like an eternity of Lance holding Keith down and watching the light from his position under Keith, the light started to fade. Lance didn’t loosen his grip though. He didn’t dare chance it. The buzzing slowly faded off into the distance and eventually Lance couldn’t hear it at all. Only then did he release Keith, exhaling loudly in relief.

 

Keith rolled off of him and sprang to his feet. Lance sat up, looking at Keith. There was still a fire in Keith’s eyes but it was a different kind of fire. Anger. Lance had seen it before and knew what was coming.

 

“Why the fuck did you do that?!” Keith demanded, glaring at Lance.

 

Lance resisted the urge to flinch at Keith’s voice and stood up. “Because you were acting on instinct again instead of thinking.” Lance made sure to make his voice firm but not angry.

 

“In case you haven’t noticed, we need to know what that thing is! That was our chance and you blew it!” Keith spit back at him.

 

“We’ve got Pidge for that.” Lance pointed out. “They’re analyzing that data right now.”

 

“And how long will that take?! We don’t have time to sit around and wait! We need to get off this goddamn ship!” Keith was more than angry now. He was furious. He tore his helmet off his head and threw it on the ground with rage.

 

Lance did his best to not match Keith’s anger. “Do you think I don’t know that?” Lance said holding up his left arm. “I’ve got a firm reminder of that. I just can’t…” Lance felt his throat dry up and his heart twist in a painful way.

 

“Can’t what?! Can’t face that thing because you’re too scared?!”

 

Lance felt the exact moment he lost control. “I’m not scared of that thing!” He practically screamed at Keith.

 

“Then what is it, Lance?! Because I don’t see any other reason!”

 

Lance had no control over what was coming out of his mouth. He just needed Keith to understand.

 

“I just can’t lose you!” Lance yelled, realizing a second too late exactly what he said. He froze, all the anger draining from his system. He was left only with the pain in his chest at the thought of what could have happen. Lance backed up until his back hit a wall and he slid to the ground. He took his helmet off and set it down next to him. He felt his shoulders slouch in defeat and he covered his face with his right hand.

 

“I’m scared that you’re going to die, Keith. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you...not when there was something I could do about it…” Lance muttered into his hand. He didn’t know if Keith had even heard him but he didn’t dare look at him to check.

 

There was silence in the room.

 

Lance desperately wanted to sink through the floor or turn back time or something to get him out of the situation he put himself in. But there was no escaping it. He hadn’t even realized how much he’d meant those words until he said them out loud.

 

“Lance?” Keith said softly.

 

Lance looked up from his hand to see Keith kneeling in front of where he was seated on the floor. When Lance didn’t respond, Keith reached towards him with his right hand. Lance watched as Keith placed his hand on Lance’s chest directly over his heart.

 

“I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever...I promise.” Keith said, his voice barely a whisper.

 

Lance felt the familiar sensation of Keith’s touch course through him and...he felt safe. Lance could feel his heart pounding against his ribs at Keith’s closeness and wondered briefly if Keith could feel it too.

 

Lance shifted his gaze from Keith’s hand to Keith’s face, which was just as soft as his voice was, to the red handprint that he’d left on Keith’s armor what seemed like forever ago. He didn’t know how to respond. The right words seemed to escape him so he did the only thing that he could think to do. With his right hand he reached up and placed it over his handprint on Keith’s chest.

 

“I’ll hold you to that.” Lance said gently, meeting Keith’s gaze.

 

Lance was unsure about a lot of things. He was unsure if Pidge would decrypt the data. He was unsure if he’d ever be able to use his left arm again. He was even unsure if they would make it off the ship alive. But there was one thing Lance knew for absolute certain in that moment with his hand over Keith’s heart and Keith’s hand over his.

 

Lance had fallen for the red paladin and fallen hard. It was the kind of fall that there was no coming back from. He would forever be Keith’s...if only Keith would forever be his.

 

\-----

 

Keith’s face wasn’t very far away from Lance’s. He could feel Lance’s warm breath brush his cheeks and it drove him crazy. He wanted nothing more than to lean forward and-

 

Keith dropped his hand from Lance’s chest and stood up, sure that he was blushing.

 

“We should...uh...we should get moving.” Keith said and went to retrieve his helmet from where he’d thrown it earlier. His heart was still pounding from Lance’s touch and his head was reeling from what he almost did.

 

“Y-yeah. Yeah sure.” Lance responded, sounding flustered. He grabbed his helmet and stood up.

 

They both made their way to the door and Keith pulled it open with a little effort.

 

“Hey, guys.” Pidge said over the comm. “I’ve got an update for you.”

 

“Please tell me you’re done decrypting the data.” Keith said, urgency present in his voice.

 

“Slow your roll, Keith. It’ll come in good time.” Pidge replied. “I told you it’d take some time so you’re just gonna have to be patient.”

 

“It’s been over six hours.” Keith said a little frustrated.

 

“Fine, next time you can decrypt it.” Pidge said, irritated. “Do you want to hear my update or not?”

 

“Yes, please!” Lance said quickly, cutting off Keith’s chance to make Pidge more angry.

 

“So, the castle arrived at our location but it’s hanging back aways just in case. Shiro and Hunk are on standby so once you guys drop that containment field they can back us up.”

 

“Don’tcha want to join up with the castle, stretch your legs for a bit?” Lance asked.

 

“Nah,” Pidge replied. “I’ve got everything I need here. Plus, with my lion’s cloaking ability I can remain close if something goes wrong. I started this stupid mission with you guys so I might as well see it to the end.”

 

Keith couldn’t help but smile a little at that. “Careful, Pidge. It’s starting to sound like you care about us.”

 

“Don’t read too much into it. I’m in it for the mystery.” Pidge said with a little laugh. “There is something else you should know though.” Pidge continued, their voice taking a deeper, more serious tone.

 

“What’s that?” Lance asked, sounding worried himself.

 

“That cast on Lance’s arm probably only has another twelve hours or so until it breaks.” Keith felt his blood run cold and shifted his eyes to stare at the cast encircling Lance’s left arm. “If it breaks before you guys drop that field Lance is gonna start bleeding out again, and Keith probably won’t be able to stop it this time.”

 

Keith felt a slight fear settle into the pit of his stomach as images of Lance bleeding out flashed through his mind. “Okay.” Keith heard himself say softly. “Thanks Pidge.”

 

“Let me know if you need anything.” Pidge replied and the comm went dead.

 

Keith turned to look at Lance who was staring at the cast on his left arm like it was a bomb. Keith didn’t blame him.

 

“We’re gonna get you off this ship and into a healing pod.” Keith said, making his voice determined. He didn’t want to show Lance how frightened he really was.

 

Lance looked at Keith, uncertainty evident in his eyes. “Are you sure?”

 

“I’m positive.”

 

Keith wasn’t positive. He had his own doubts but Lance didn’t need to hear them. Lance was terrified and Keith knew it. Who wouldn’t be in his situation?

 

“But I can’t do it alone.” Keith said, straightening his shoulders with confidence he didn’t have. “I’m gonna need your help.”

 

A goofy smile spread across Lance’s face at Keith’s words. “Of course you do.” He replied. “You’d still be on the other half of the ship if it wasn’t for me.”

 

Keith decided not to respond to that. Lance was probably right but he didn’t need to know that. Instead he decided to say, “Now that we know that green light is on this half of the ship we’re gonna have to be extra careful now. Plus there’s still three galra out there. We’ve definitely got our work cut out for us…”

 

“Don’t sweat it.” Lance said dismissively. “We’re too good a team to take down. Now...onwards!” He pointed down the hallway dramatically. Keith rolled his eyes at Lance’s unnecessary dramatics but started walking in the direction Lance was pointing.

 

The two walked in silence, both of their guards up. Keith was expecting to see the green light at every turn and was relieved when all he saw was more darkness.

 

Keith found himself thinking back to their argument. He’d been angry, that was for sure, but he’d also been taken off guard by Lance’s outburst.

 

_“I just can’t lose you!”_

 

That’s what Lance had said. That was the moment Keith’s heart had torn in half. The look on Lance’s face was rage but Keith had noticed the desperation in his eyes.

 

He had wanted to find out what that light was. Once he knew what he was dealing with he would know how to beat it...only then would Lance be safe. That was all he wanted. To protect Lance. To get him off this ship and away from the horrors that were trapped inside with them. In doing so, however, he’d hurt Lance even more. It wasn’t intentional but it hurt just the same.

 

He knew that Lance could protect himself. Lance was a pretty good fighter and a...unique pilot. He was brave when he needed to be and knew how to calm a room down. Lance had stood on his own two feet when the team left Earth and he would continue to be part of the glue that held everyone together.

 

Maybe Lance didn’t need Keith’s protection...maybe Lance didn’t _want_ Keith’s protection. And maybe Keith was just setting himself up for disappointment when he dared himself to hope for a future where he and Lance could be happy...could be together.

 

None of that mattered to Keith.

 

He had made Lance a promise. A promise that he would always be there for him and he intended to keep that promise.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I guess a cliffhanger loses all of its gusto if I post the next chapter literally the next day but whatever. Sue me. I finished it earlier than I had intended so...you're welcome I guess?  
> Anyway, any and all feedback you are willing to give is greatly appreciated.  
> Stay safe and I'll see you next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	12. Going Home

“I hate you!” Pidge yelled, glaring at their monitor. They resisted the urge to kick something. They had been trying to decode this data for hours. They’d run numerous programs and tried to find countless backdoors. Nothing had worked and Pidge was getting more frustrated by the minute. They knew, however, that they were the only one who would be able to figure this out. Lance and Keith’s lives depended on Pidge defeating this encryption. 

 

Pidge gritted their teeth and started typing again. 

 

“Pidge!” 

 

Pidge jumped as Lance’s voice sounded over the comm loudly. 

 

“Stop doing that!” Pidge replied, annoyed. 

 

“I need your help.” Lance continued, ignoring Pidge. “It’s...Keith.” 

 

“Isn’t Keith with you?” They asked. 

 

“Not right now.” Lance replied. “I told him I had to take a piss. He opened a door for me but decided to stay in the hallway.”

 

“Wait, I’m sorry, hold up.” Pidge was having a hard time holding their laughter in. “You went into a random room on a galra ship and were just going to pee in it?” 

 

“It’s not like I actually did!” Lance’s voice was defensive.

 

“But Keith thinks you are.” Pidge said, suddenly in the best of moods. 

 

“Yeah, I guess but that’s not the point!” 

 

“Okay, I’m sorry. What’s your problem with Keith?” Pidge was still chuckling softly to themselves. Lance didn’t answer right away and Pidge was worried that they’d lost connection somehow. “Lance?” 

 

“I’m here…” He responded, sounding unsure. “I’m just not really sure how to say this…”

 

Pidge didn’t respond but instead chose to wait for Lance to continue. It wasn’t often that they saw him at a loss for words. This was probably serious. 

 

“I...I think I like him. Like  _ like him  _ like him…” Lance’s voice was small.

 

“Fucking finally!” Pidge yelled at him. “Took you long enough.” 

 

“...what?” Was all Lance said in response. 

 

“Oh please.” Pidge said flatly. “I’ve had to watch you guys for months do the pinning dance. I wanted to point it out to you sooner but Hunk made me promise not to.” 

 

“You  _ knew _ ?! How? I didn’t even know!” 

 

“Of course I did. Anyone with eyes could see what was going on. Are you really that surprised?” 

 

Lance sighed over the comm. “No, not really. So...what do I do?” 

 

“Tell him? What else would you do?” Pidge replied.

 

“I can’t do that!” Lance said quickly. 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way?” 

 

Pidge couldn’t help the laughter that came bubbling out of them. Boys were just...so stupid sometimes and they loved it. 

 

“This isn’t funny!” Lance said, getting defensive again. 

 

“On the contrary, my blue friend. This is hilarious.” Pidge took a few deep breaths to calm themselves back down before continuing. “In all seriousness, though, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I’d bet money that Keith is having the exact same problem you are.” 

 

“You really think so?” Lance asked, sounding hopeful.

 

“Lance, have you forgotten who you’re talking to? I don’t just think, I know.”

 

\-----

 

Lance exited the room after ending his conversation with Pidge. He felt better, that was for sure, but still uncertain. He walked down the hallway and around the corner, his thoughts still swirling with what Pidge had said. He spotted Keith leaning against a wall and approached him.

 

“I’m not one to judge, but holy shit you were gone for a long time. I almost went looking for you. What were you doing? Baking a cake?” Keith said, pushing himself off the wall. 

 

“Hey, you should know how long it takes to get this armor off. And I had to do it one handed.” Lance lied smoothly. He’d already thought through this whole scenario, not wanting to make Keith suspicious. “Besides, Hunk says I’m not allowed near ovens after I almost set the castle’s kitchen on fire.”

 

“What? When was that?” Keith asked him, startled. 

 

“Not important right now.” Lance said, deciding that it was in his best interest to not get into it. “Let’s get moving. We must be getting close to that power source.” 

 

Keith looked like he wanted to say something but instead turned and led the way down the hall. Lance watched Keith as he walked in front of him. His mind drifted to his conversation with Pidge again. Could he just tell him? Was it really that easy? He didn’t know. What he did know was that telling him while being stuck on a galra ship while they were being hunted by something and working against the clock was not the proper time to be springing something like that on Keith. Keith had enough to worry about without Lance adding to that. If he decided to tell Keith anything he would wait until they were back safe on the castle and Lance had spent some quality time with a healing pod. 

 

Keith stopped abruptly, causing Lance to almost run into him. Lance looked over his shoulder to see if there was anything in front of them but it just looked like an empty hallway to him. 

 

“What’s up?” Lance asked quietly. 

 

“Shh...” Keith replied. “I think I hear something…” 

 

Lance listened but all he could hear was their breathing. “Is it that buzzing?” Lance asked, a touch of worry in his voice. 

 

Keith shook his head. “It’s more of a...beeping sound. I think it’s coming from over there.” Keith started down the hallway in a half jog. Lance followed behind him curiously. As the two got to the end of the hall Keith stopped again, looking around. 

 

Now Lance could definitely hear the beeping Keith had been talking about. It was still faint but it was steady. Lance felt a swell of relief in his chest. 

 

“Do you think it could be the power source?” He asked excitedly. 

 

“More than likely.” Keith replied, sounding relieved himself. “I think it’s coming from this way.” Keith point toward the left. “Let’s go.” 

 

The two quickly moved towards the beeping sound and as it steadily grew louder and louder Lance felt a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders. He was about to get off this ship and away from the green light forever. The cast wouldn’t break and he wouldn’t have to worry about bleeding out. Everything was going to be over and Lance couldn’t be happier about that. 

 

For once, things were looking up. 

 

\-----

 

Keith stopped at a door that looked like every other door on this god-forsaken ship. But this time, he could feel a wave of relief wash over him as he went to pull it open. The beeping was definitely coming from inside. This was his key to getting Lance and himself off this ship and away from whatever was hunting them. 

 

The door slowly slid open and Keith stood in the doorway looking at his saving grace. The power source, as it turned out, was a glowy purple thing. Pidge probably knew what the technical term for it was but that was the best way Keith could describe it. It was large. It was purple. It was glowy. There were wires connected to it that Keith assumed fed power into the containment field and those airlock seals they had encountered before. The device was silent except for the beeping which occurred in regular intervals of about two seconds. It looked out of place on the ship, like it had been put on board just recently.

 

“We found it…” Lance said, staring wide eyed at the large machine. 

 

“Yes we did…” Keith replied and moved further into the room. He pulled his eyes away from the power source to survey the rest of the room and noticed a console with a group of monitors off to the left. He also noticed three neat piles of purple dust on the ground around the console. 

 

“I guess we know what happened to the last three galra.” Keith commented as he approached the console. “Hey Lance-”

 

“I swear, if you say something about me eating them I will throw your sword out the nearest airlock.” Lance cut Keith off, irritation making his voice sound dangerous. 

 

Keith chuckled to himself but didn’t respond. He was pleasantly surprised to see the monitors light up when he put his hand on the console. They must’ve been powered by the large glowy thing as well. 

 

“Hey, Pidge.” Keith said into the comm. “We made it to the source...and it’s huge. I’ve got a working console in front of me that’s calling your name.”

 

“You did? Good. Patch me in and I’ll see what I can find out.” Pidge replied immediately.

 

Keith placed his hand on the console and there was a few moments of silence before Pidge spoke again. 

 

“Okay I’m in. Let me see what I can find out…” Pidge trailed off and Keith waited impatiently. He glanced at Lance who was shifting his weight from one leg to the other. He was probably just as antsy as Keith was to get off this ship. Maybe even more. “Oh! That makes sense! I can’t believe I didn’t see it before!”

 

“What? What makes sense?” Lance asked, sounding a little frantic. 

 

“This thing is kinda like a vacuum.” Pidge explained. “Once turned on, it sucks all the power around it in and creates that containment field. That’s why the ship died. All of it’s energy is literally stored in that device.”  

 

“So you’re saying that the galra turned this thing on knowing it was going to incapacitate their ship?” Keith asked, staring at the large machine again. 

 

“Seems that way.” Pidge replied. “In other news, the decryption key for that data I’ve been trying to access was also stored in that console! I should have info on that green light for you in just a little bit.”

 

“Not that it’s gonna matter much soon.” Lance said, clearly happy. “Once we shut this thing down we’re outta here!” 

 

“Speaking of which,” Pidge said. “I’m giving you access to that right now, Keith. Once you shut it down the power will return to the ship…well, this half of the ship at least. I’ll be able to redownload that map and find a pickup point for you guys. So, be ready to move when that happens.”

 

“Anything else you can get from the console?” Keith asked Pidge. 

 

“Let’s see…” Pidge replied. “Nothing that really matters. I can sift through the data more once you guys are out of there.” 

 

“So, it’s time then?” Lance asked, looking at down at his left arm. 

 

“Yeah, Lance, it’s time. Let’s get you guys home.” Pidge said, their voice gentler than Keith was used to. Even though they would never admit it Pidge was just as worried about Lance as Keith was. 

 

Keith looked at Lance, giving the blue paladin a small smile. His body felt tired and he was more than ready to be off this ship but he was glad that Lance was here with him in this moment. They had gone through hell and survived. Keith almost couldn’t believe it. 

 

Lance smiled back at him, a fierce look in his eyes. Keith felt the familiar sensation of his breath catching and his heart speeding up. Keith welcomed the feeling, knowing that soon everything was going to go back to normal. 

 

Keith raised his right hand and placed it over Lance’s red handprint on his chest, nodding at Lance. He’d kept his promise. 

 

Lance nodded back to him, understanding the gesture. 

 

“Okay, Keith.” Pidge said over the comm. “Whenever you’re ready.”

 

Keith took a deep breath before saying, “Let’s go home.” He raised his hand and-

 

“Wait!” Pidge yelled suddenly. “Don’t drop that field!”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!   
> I've been having a blast writing this so it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that you guys are loving it as much as I am. In case I haven't mentioned it before, any and all feedback you are willing to give is greatly appreciated.   
> Stay safe and I'll see ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	13. A Goof's Bravery

Lance saw Keith’s hand freeze right over the console and his heart fell. He didn’t know what was going on but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.

 

“What’s wrong?” Keith asked.

 

“Guys...I know what that green light is...and it’s not good.” Pidge said ominously over the comm.

 

“What is it?” Lance asked, not really sure he wanted to know.

 

“A weapon.” Pidge responded. “Like a weapon of mass destruction kinda weapon except worse.”

 

“Give me specifics, Pidge. What are we dealing with?” Keith said, his voice steady despite the situation.

 

“According to this data, the galra found a deserted planet out on the edge of the known universe except it wasn’t as deserted as they thought. They found something there...some sort of creature it looks like.”

 

“So it’s alive?” Keith interrupted. “Which means we can kill it.”

 

“Not exactly.” Pidge said quickly. “The galra captured it and experimented on it. They discovered that it had the ability to absorb quintessence at an alarmingly fast rate but by doing so it completely destroys anything it sucks the quinessence out of. That’s why I didn’t find anything on that glass and why those galra were just piles of dust. So, just as you’d expect from the galra, they “modified” it.”

 

“Modified? I don’t like the sound of that.” Lance said.

 

“And you shouldn’t. They did some really messed up stuff to it. Like, gag worthy stuff. They turned it into a weapon. Made it so that it no longer had a mind of its own. It’s more machine now than living creature. If what I’m reading is right, they amplified it’s abilities so it can absorb more and the more quintessence it gets the stronger it becomes...guys, if this thing gets out it could be destroying galaxies within a week.”

 

“I don’t understand.” Lance said confused. “If this thing is getting more powerful then how is this containment field even holding it? With all the galra it’s...absorbed…” Lance shuddered a little. “Wouldn’t it have been able to break that barrier by now? I mean, it literally tore the ship in half, didn’t it?”

 

“Well, yes, but my guess is that the galra were prepared for something like this. They built the field specifically for this thing. Even with you guys on board I don’t think it could get strong enough to break through.”

 

“So how do we kill it, Pidge?” Keith asked. Pidge didn’t respond. “Pidge?”

 

“...I don’t know...there’s nothing in the data about that…”

 

Lance felt despair settle into the pit of his stomach. Sure, they knew what it was but they were still no closer to beating it...if it even could be beaten.

 

“Pidge,” Keith said with a steely voice. “We have to get Lance off this ship. He’s running out of time.”

 

“I know…” Pidge said quietly. Lance had never heard this side of Pidge before and it worried him. “But, Keith, if that thing gets out...billions of people are gonna die. They won’t stand a chance.”

 

“Voltron.” Keith said, his anger present in his voice. “Voltron can beat it.”

 

“But what if it doesn’t?” Lance heard himself say quietly. “Is that a risk we want to take?”

 

“Lance is the one whose life is on the line.” Pidge said. “By my estimates he’s got about another eight hours until the cast breaks. Lance, it’s your call.”

 

Lance looked down at the crystal cast. He knew that right below it his arm was ready to kill him. There’s no way he’d survive the bleeding if the cast broke... _when_ the cast broke. Could they figure out a way to defeat that creature in less than eight hours and still make it back to the ship in time? The odds were not in their favor. He was terrified. He didn’t want to die but he knew he could never live with himself if he put his life above the lives of countless others. No, he didn’t have a choice. Lance was a paladin of Voltron and as a paladin he had sworn to protect the universe at all costs.

 

“Keep the field up.” Lance said, turning his gaze so it met Keith’s. He did his best to look brave even though he could still feel the fear churning inside him.

 

“Okay.” Pidge said after a moment of silence. “I’m gonna update the others on what’s happened. I’ll check back in with you guys soon.”

 

Lance heard the comm go dead. He was still looking at Keith, waiting for him to say something. Lance couldn’t place the emotion behind Keith’s eyes. It was nothing he’d ever seen before. After what seemed like an eternity, Keith finally spoke.

 

“That was really brave.” He said quietly. Lance felt his face grow warm at Keith’s words.

 

“T-thanks…” Lance replied, not used to hearing praise from Keith.

 

“We’ve got less than eight hours to find that thing and kill it.” Keith continued, his voice louder than before.

 

“Any ideas?” Lance asked.

 

“You should know the answer to that question already.” Keith replied.

 

“Right, you’re Keith.” Lance said, hitting himself lightly on the forehead. “You survive on instinct and avoiding hair cuts. Your solution is to just shoot it and hope for the best. I guess I’ll have to come up with the plan. Why do I always get the hard jobs?”

 

“Because it’s more fun that way.” Keith said with a shrug. “Besides, it’s not like we keep you around for your looks.” Keith turned and walked towards the door of the room. “Let’s get moving. The sooner we find that thing the sooner we get off this ship.”

 

Lance was staring at Keith’s back as he walked away, unable to form words. Once again, Keith had beaten him at his own game. Lance gathered what was left of his broken ego and followed Keith out of the room.

 

\-----

 

The two left the room, leaving a “X” on the door with Keith’s sword so they could find it easily again. Keith didn’t know where the green light creature was but he figured it would eventually find them. Hopefully, Lance had a plan before that happened.

 

“So the hunter becomes the hunted.” Lance said darkly. “That’s a tagline-”

 

“From like six of your favorite movies. I know, Lance. You literally say it every chance you get.” Keith said, rolling his eyes.

 

“I do not!” Lance said defensively. “Besides, it’s a cool line.”

 

Keith didn’t respond, deciding to give that one to Lance. He also didn’t feel this was the best of times to get into an argument about movie lines.

 

He had genuinely been impressed with Lance’s decision. He hadn’t expected anything less than that but that didn’t mean it wasn’t impressive. Keith would even go so far as to say he was proud of Lance.

 

Keith knew that Lance had made the right call but part of him wanted to drop the field. He didn’t want to be stuck on this ship anymore and he especially didn’t want Lance’s cast to break. He had to keep reminding himself that they had eight hours. They had time to spare. Lance was going to be fine, right?

 

Keith shook his head a little and hoped Lance hadn’t noticed. Of course Lance was going to be fine. Keith would make sure of that. They would somehow figure out how to beat that creature and then they would shut down the containment field and then they would get back to the castle. That was the plan and Keith was going to make sure it happened. Nothing was going to stop him, not even a galra weapon of mass destruction.

 

“So if I was a terrifying glowy galra weapon, where would I be?” Keith heard Lance say from behind him.

 

“Probably looking for more quintessence to absorb.” Keith replied. “It probably wants to get off this ship as much as we do.”

 

“But if that was the case, you’d think we’d have seen it by now.” Lance said, sounding like he was deep in thought. “I mean, we’re the only living things left on this ship…” Lance trailed off and Keith looked back to see he had stopped walking altogether. “ _Oh!_ ”

 

“What, Lance? What is it?” Keith asked urgently.

 

“Those three galra that you bludgeoned to death, where did we leave them?” Lance asked.

 

Keith didn’t see the relevance but answered anyway. “Right where they attacked us. It was close to where we jumped the gap between the two parts of the ship. Why?”

 

“I know it’s not your strong suit but think about it for a minute.” Lance said quickly. Keith decided to let the insult slide this time. “We’re the only living things left on this ship which means we’re the only _moving_ things left on this ship.” Lance was giving Keith a look like he should have caught onto the point Lance was making by now.

 

“I’ll let you know when you start making sense.” Keith said in a dry tone.

 

“Isn’t it obvious? Why go after the harder to get prey when there’s dead galra just lying around, ripe for the taking?”

 

“You think this things is going to absorb the dead galra’s quintessence?” Keith asked, starting to understand.

 

“Now you’re getting it!” Lance said excitedly. “I bet that if we want to find that creature we look there.”

 

It was a good plan, Keith had to admit. He did, however, see a flaw in it...well, a couple of flaws. “That’s great and all Lance but how’re we supposed to find them again? We’ve come a long ways since then and in case you haven’t noticed all of these hallways look the same. And even if we did know where to find them, it’s going to take us a while to get back there. At least an hour or two if we’re lucky. Can we really afford to waste that kinda time?”

 

Lance was silent for a moment, before responding. “Maybe it will be just a waste of time but I don’t really see any other options. We need to find that thing and this might be our only chance to.”

 

Keith sighed, knowing that Lance was right. “Okay, fine. Let’s go hunting for some dead galra.”

 

\-----

 

“I’m starting to like this mission less and less.” Pidge heard Shiro say over the comm after Pidge had explained what had happened.

 

“Join the freaking club.” Pidge replied.

 

“Is there anything in that data that could give us a clue as to how that thing can be beaten? Anything at all?” Shiro asked.

 

“Nothing that I’ve seen so far. Most of it is specifics on how this thing was modified. It’s not pleasant stuff to read. I’ll keep looking though.”

 

“Did it say anything about the galra had planned to use this thing for?”

 

“Now, that’s a good question. Just a sec…” Pidge looked back at their monitor and typed a few keywords into the translation program they were running. “Oh, okay, here it is. It says they were...going to use it to harness the quintessence of unconquered parts of the universe to…” Pidge trailed off, not really wanting to believe what they were reading.

 

“What, Pidge? What were they going to do?” Shiro asked patiently.

 

Pidge swallowed the bile that had risen in their throat and continued. “To build a new Voltron.”

 

“What?!” Shiro said, sounding more surprised than Pidge was used to.

 

“They were going to try to build a Voltron of their own to take us out.” Pidge replied, trying to keep their voice steady. “Shiro, they were going to kill billions of people, including humans, in order to beat us. This whole thing was because of us…”

 

“You can’t think like that, Pidge.” Shiro said, his voice commanding. “We can’t control what the galra does or doesn’t do. What we can do is fight the galra to protect the people of this universe. As terrible as the situation is, we are lucky to have found this ship so we can stop this thing before it hurts anybody.”

 

“But what if Lance and Keith die?”

 

“All we can do is trust them. Trust that they can figure out how to take this thing down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Things are going to be pretty exciting from here on out so look forward to that.  
> Any and all feedback you are willing and able to give is greatly appreciated as always.  
> Stay safe and I'll see you next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	14. Breaking Point

Keith was in a weird head space. Everything they had done up to this point was to get to the power source and they had done that. Along the way they’d fought galra, hid from a glowing thing, and, on occasion, run for their lives. It had definitely been a mission Keith wouldn’t soon forget. But things were different. Before they had done everything in their power to get away from the green light, with the exception of when Lance had to stop Keith from running to meet it head on. Now, they were actively seeking out one of the most dangerous weapons the universe had ever seen. And to make matters worse, they had no idea how to beat it. And as if that wasn’t enough, Lance was running out of time and every minute that went by Keith could feel himself becoming more and more restless. 

 

Keith started running through everything they knew about the light in his head. Coming up with plans was not his strong suit and he knew it. He was a shoot first and asks questions later kinda guy, he could admit it. But with nothing else to do and not wanting his mind to wander to...other, more distracting things he might as well give it a try. 

 

Keith started with things they knew for certain. They knew that this thing was a modified creature, turned into a weapon for the galra. They knew that it had the ability to absorb quintessence on a monstrous scale and the more it absorbed the stronger it would get. They knew that it completely destroyed whatever it absorbed quinessence from. And, something that Keith had found out early on, it glowed green. Those were the facts. 

 

Lance had guessed that the creature would be hunting for quintessence and Keith agreed with that. Keith would bet that the galra had made it so that’s all it would want to do. So it would make sense that that it would be looking for the easiest prey which would be the dead galra, assuming that it hadn’t already gotten to them. So why did something not feel right to Keith? He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but it felt like he was putting two and two together and coming up with five. 

 

“I think we should give it a name.” Lance said, disrupting Keith’s thoughts. “We can’t just keep calling it the green light forever.”

 

“A name?” Keith asked. “We’re trying to kill the thing. Why would we name it?”

 

“Because then it doesn’t seem as mysterious and terrifying.” Lance said casually. “How about...Dracula!” 

 

Keith couldn’t believe he was attracted to this boy. “Why would we call it that of all names?”

 

“Because it sucks out quintessence kinda like a vampire sucks blood.” Lance said proudly, clearly ready to start calling the weapon of mass destruction Dracula. 

 

“I’m not calling it that.” Keith said flatly. 

 

“Fine...okay, what about Unlucky?”

 

“I didn’t think you could get any worse than Dracula but here we are.”

 

“Oh, c’mon. That’s a good name. I mean, it’s green like four leaf clovers so I originally thought lucky but honestly, it has not given us any good luck so Unlucky it is!” Lance said with a flourish of his good arm. 

 

“How about I’m-unlucky-to-be-having-this-conversation-right-now?” Keith responded, not amused. 

 

“Okay, I can see you’re not a fan. That’s cool. I got plenty of other names.”

 

“Oh good…” Keith said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

 

“Pidge 2.0?”

 

“No.”

 

“Green Light and Ham?”

 

“Definitely not.”

 

“Greengory...like Gregory except green.” 

 

“I think you’re under the illusion that these are good names.”

 

“Hey, I don’t see you coming up with any names!” Lance said defensively. 

 

“Because I don’t want to name it!” Keith replied, exasperated. 

 

“Ya know what I think?” Lance said accusatorily. “I think you just can’t think of any names and you don’t want to admit it.”

 

“Okay, fine! I think of a stupid name for it.” Keith thought for a moment, trying to come up with a somewhat decent name. His mind was drawing a blank.

 

At this point the two had stopped in the middle of a hallway and Keith was facing Lance. There was silence between them and Keith could clearly see the obnoxious grin on Lance’s face. Keith wracked his brain for a name but to no avail.

 

“Fuck it. Greengory it is…” He finally said in defeat. 

 

“Ha! I knew you couldn’t think of a name!” Lance exclaimed, his shit-eating grin growing wider.

 

“No, I just don’t think my brain operates on the same level of stupid as yours.” Keith replied smoothly. 

 

“What you call stupid others would call genius.” Lance said, oozing confidence. 

 

“...right.” Keith replied and started walking again. 

 

“So I filled Shiro in.” Pidge said over the comm suddenly. Keith, having gotten used to Pidge just randomly showing up, didn’t even jump this time. 

 

“Is he as excited that we’re still on this ship as we are?” Keith asked. 

 

“Probably more.” Came Pidge’s response. 

 

A sudden thought occurred to Keith. “Pidge, what can you tell me about quintessence? I’m assuming you’ve done your own research into it.”

 

“Quintessence? Well, what do you want to know?” Pidge asked, sounding surprised. 

 

“I already know it’s what makes up literally everything in the universe and the galra use it for power and fuel and whatnot but that’s about it.” Keith replied. 

 

“There’s not much more I can tell you then. Well, except that we had a different name for it on Earth.”

 

“A different name?” Lance asked. “I don’t remember anything on Earth that was like quintessence.” 

 

“You’d probably know it as energy.” Pidge said in a teacherly voice. “At first they don’t seem that similar but that’s only because our technology on Earth wasn’t advanced enough to realize or utilize its full potential. Both energy and quintessence can neither be created nor destroyed, merely harvested and both  can exist in a variety of forms, such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, etc. and can be transformed from one form to another.”  

 

“Neither created nor destroyed…” Keith said to himself quietly.

 

“Yeah.” Pidge responded. “Kinda like when you die your body decomposes and turns into nutrients that help plants and other shit grow. The energy, or rather, quintessence isn’t destroyed just because you die, it’s just redirected. Quick question, though. Why am I giving you guys a science lesson while you’re in the middle of a life or death mission?”

 

“That’s a really good question.” Lance said, looking at Keith with an eyebrow raised. 

 

“Just thinking about different ways to beat the green light-”

 

Lance interrupted Keith with a loud and fake cough. Keith understood what Lance wanted and reworded his sentence in an unamused voice.

 

“I’m sorry...I was just thinking about ways to beat  _ Greengory _ .” 

 

“Greengory?” Pidge asked, clearly confused. 

 

“You really really really don’t want to know.” Keith said with a sigh. 

 

“I’ll...take your word for it.” 

 

“Anyway, the thing absorbs quintessence so I was thinking there might be a way to use that against it.”

 

“Interesting idea…” Pidge said, sounding like they were getting lost in thought. “You might actually be onto something, Keith. Let me talk to Coran. He knows way more about this stuff than I do. I’ll let you guys know if we come up with anything. Bye!” 

 

Pidge was gone before either of them had a chance to respond. 

 

“I can’t believe you stole my job!” Lance said after a moment. “You’re the instinct guy and I’m the plan guy!”

 

“I’m sorry?” Keith replied, surprised by Lance’s outburst. 

 

“You better be.” Lance said with a huff. His face was twisted in a pout and Keith couldn’t help but smile at how heart-stopping the look was on him. It was...dare he even think it...cute. 

 

Keith wanted to punch himself but elected to just cough awkwardly and do everything in his power to not look at Lance. 

 

Keith really wanted to get off this ship...before his feelings got the better of him. 

 

\-----

 

Stupid Keith coming up with his stupid idea annoyed Lance more than it should have. Probably because the idea wasn’t half bad if Pidge and Coran could figure out a way to actually turn it’s own quintessence against it. And that was a big “if”. 

 

Lance sighed and looked down at his left arm as he walked behind Keith. It was hard to see, Keith’s flashlight being their only source of light at the moment, but it looked different. Lance raised his arm to look closer at the cast. 

 

Lance stopped walking, his mind going blank as he stared at the crystal cast enveloping his left forearm. He wasn’t sure if he was breathing but he honestly didn’t care. He could hear the blood rushing through his head and he felt like he was going to faint. 

 

“Lance?” Keith asked, having noticed he wasn’t moving anymore. “What’s wrong?”

 

Lance couldn’t seem to form words. He shifted his eyes from the cast to Keith’s worried expression. Keith put Lance’s bayard away before approaching him and Lance held out his left arm for Keith to see. 

 

On the surface of the cast there were cracks. They weren’t huge but they were there. The gravity of the situation suddenly came crashing down on Lance’s shoulders and it dawned on him how little time he had left. 

 

Keith held Lance’s arm in his hands tenderly and was staring at the cracks, his face not showing any emotion. He gingerly rubbed his thumb over one of the larger cracks, as if trying to make it disappear. After what seemed like forever he finally lifted his gaze to meet Lance’s. 

 

“I don’t want to die…” Lance said softly, the terror in his voice evident. He didn’t dare look back down at the cast, choosing instead to find what little comfort he could in Keith’s deep purple-grey eyes.

 

“You’re not gonna die.” Keith replied, his tone just as quiet as Lance’s had been but without the fear. 

 

“How can you be sure?” Lance heard himself ask, his mind still feeling numb. 

 

Keith was quiet for a long while. He let go of Lance’s arm and it fell back to his side. Lance could tell Keith was debating something in his head so he waited. Eventually Keith’s expression softened and he said, “You said it yourself, we’re too good a team to take down. I said I was going to get you off this ship and I will. You just have to trust me.” 

 

Lance did trust Keith, more than he ever had before. If Keith said he was going to make it off this ship Lance believed him. He wasn’t sure if it was the look on Keith’s face, or the deepness of his eyes, or the fact that Keith was standing so close to him, but all Lance wanted was to feel Keith’s warmth again. To feel the electricity that flowed through him when Keith touched him. It was an unbearable urge that made his heart ache and his knees go weak. 

 

Keith stirred a raw and powerful desire in him that Lance hadn’t known existed before. It was a desire fueled by those moments where Keith was gentle. Where he was vulnerable. Where he seemed so wholly committed to Lance that Lance almost couldn’t bear it. Lance had wanted to wait until they were back safe in the castle to tell Keith how he felt but he didn’t think that was an option anymore. 

 

Lance needed Keith. 

 

There was nobody in the universe that could make Lance feel as safe as Keith did. When Lance looked at Keith he didn’t just see the red paladin of Voltron, team member and pilot extraordinaire.

 

He saw home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I said it was going to be exciting and I gave you basically all dialogue. Well, expositions gotta happen at some point, right? Let's just think of it as me getting all my ducks in a row before the action.   
> So I'm sure that all of you know what special day it is today. Happy birthday Lance!!! I love him so much...  
> Anyway in order to celebrate I've decided to post not one but TWO whole chapters today. This was the first as you could probably guess and the second will be posted later today so be on the lookout for that.   
> As always any and all feedback you are willing to give is greatly appreciated.   
> Stay safe and I'll see ya later today!
> 
> ~Redjay


	15. Wrong Assumptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the second chapter for today as promised! As a bonus it's the longest chapter yet! Enjoy!
> 
> ~Redjay

It had taken everything in Keith’s power to not rip his helmet off and kiss Lance. Even now as he walked through the all too familiar dark halls of the galra ship Keith could feel that insatiable desire coursing through him. He had to keep reminding himself where they were and how dire the situation was. They didn’t have time to deal with confusing emotions. All of that stuff could come later.

 

Keith had been here before. Not “here” as in the emotional turmoil about the boy who was walking a few steps behind him but “here” as in he’s walked down this hallway before. Granted, all the hallways looked exactly the same but his gut told him he’d been here before. 

 

On instinct Keith walked up to the closest door and began to pull it open. 

 

“Hmm? What’re you doing?” Lance asked, sounding like he’s been lost in his own thoughts like Keith had been. 

 

“Playing a hunch.” Keith said between grunts of pulling the door open. It only took a moment more before the door slid open and Keith was greeted with a familiar, if slightly terrifying, sight. Keith shined his flashlight into the room for Lance to see. 

 

“A lab?” He asked. 

 

“Not just any lab.” Keith replied. He turned and approached the door across the hall. He pulled it open with a little effort. Lance had followed him across the hall and once again peered over Keith’s shoulder to see into the room. On the floor there was a rather large pile of purple goo. 

 

“Oh!” Lance said surprised. “We’ve been here!”

 

“Exactly.” Keith said, pleased with himself. “And even better, I think I know how to get us back to those dead galra from here.” 

 

“Seriously?” Lance asked, surprised. “That’s like the best news I’ve heard all day.”

 

“Well with all the shitty luck we’ve had something good was bound to happen eventually.” Keith replied. “Let’s go.”

 

Keith turned from the room and was about to lead the way back to the dead galra when Lance stopped him. 

 

“Hold up. I think we should trade bayards again.” 

 

Keith stopped and turned back to where Lance was still standing in the doorway. “Why? You still can’t shoot.”

 

Lance shrugged. “Maybe not but your strength is still in close combat and if we’re going up against something that has the potential to destroy galaxies then I think we’re going to need those skills of yours.”

 

“I’m not going to leave you weaponless.” Keith demanded. 

 

“I’m not saying you should.” Lance said quickly. “You’re right, I still can’t hold my blaster properly but I’ve got an idea as to how to fix that.” He pointed into the room with the purple goo.

 

Keith gave him a confused look. “I don’t understand.” 

 

Lance smiled at him. “You will. This is probably the single greatest idea I’ve ever had.”

 

\-----

 

Keith had to admit that he was slightly impressed. He certainly wouldn’t have thought of anything like it. 

 

Lance stood in front of Keith, the cut off hose from the broken food goo machine slung over his left shoulder. Keith, using his sword, had cut off the ends and then tied the hose around Lance’s blaster. One end was tied around the handle of the blaster and the other was around the body per Lance’s instructions. The blaster was situated against Lance’s right side, positioned so Lance’s right hand could easily reach the trigger. It wasn’t an ideal fix but it was better than the alternative. 

 

“I won’t be able to aim very well but that’s still better than your aiming.” Lance commented, looking down at his blaster with pride. 

 

“I have excellent aim!” Keith snapped defensively. 

 

“Keith.” Lance said, looking at him earnestly. “Your aim sucks. Just accept it.” 

 

Keith crossed his arms with a huff and said, “In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve shot lots of things with Red.” 

 

“Yeah but was it you aiming or Red?” Lance asked, a smug smile on his face. 

 

Keith felt his eyes widen as he was hit with realization. “Th-there’s no way...I mean...Red would’ve told me...right?” 

 

Lance gave a little shrug. “How should I know? Blue and I’ve never had that problem.” Keith could feel himself starting to get a little irritated but before he had a chance to say anything Lance continued talking. “Anyway, we should get moving. Hopefully by the time we get to those dead galra Pidge will have some sort of plan for us.”

 

Lance turned and led the way out of the room. Keith sighed and followed him. It seemed like Lance was back to his normal, chipper self. Keith had been worried that the impending deadline would have kept him in a constant state of despair. Keith had a feeling that his unconcerned demeanor was more of a coping mechanism than anything else. 

 

“This way.” Keith said as he took the lead again. He led the way through the halls, growing more confident with every turn. When Keith turned the last corner he was relieved and a little surprised to see the three dead galra exactly where they had left them. He had expected them to be turned into dust by now. 

 

“Huh.” He heard Lance say, confused. “I was sure that Greengory would have gotten to them by now.” 

 

“Something’s not right…” Keith said. What had they missed? Keith looked down at the galra, thinking back on everything they knew about the green light. What were the facts they knew? They knew it was a galra weapon. They knew it destroyed everything it absorbed quintessence from. They knew it glowed green. That was it. 

 

_ That was it. _

 

Keith turned and grabbed Lance’s shoulders, shaking him a little in his franticness. “It can’t sense quintessence!” Keith said loudly to a shocked Lance. 

 

Lance grabbed hold of one of Keith’s wrist with his right hand, the cast making it impossible for him to grab both and attempted to get Keith to stop shaking him. It didn’t work very well. “What are you talking about?”

 

“Don’t you see?” Keith said. “We assumed it would go after the easiest prey to get which would be the dead galra but we were wrong. It’s not able to detect quintessence.” 

 

“How can you be sure?” Lance asked, catching on to what Keith was trying to explain. 

 

“Think about every time we hid from it. If it could sense quintessence then it would have found us by now.” Keith saw Lance glance down at the galra with wide eyes. That’s what had been off to Keith. Now they’d wasted so much time on a plan that wasn’t even going to work. Time they couldn’t afford to waste. 

 

“Hey, Keith.” Lance said in a small voice, still staring at the galra. “What do we do?”

 

“I don’t know…” Keith replied, letting go of Lance and taking a step back. Keith opened his mouth to reassure Lance that they’d figure something out but before he could say a word he heard it. 

 

There was a buzzing. 

 

\-----

 

Lance watched as Keith’s expression went from disappointed to fierce in a split second. At first he wasn’t sure why Keith’s demeanor had changed so suddenly but then he heard it. The buzzing. Lance felt his muscles tense up and he started searching the darkness for the light. 

 

“Where’s it coming from?” Lance whispered, gripping his blaster tightly in his right hand. 

 

“I think that way.” Keith replied just as quietly, pointing in the direction they had come from. 

 

Lance felt something tighten in his chest. This was it. They had no plan and very little time. They couldn’t afford to hide and wait for it to leave again. 

 

“Pidge.” Lance heard Keith say over the comm. His voice was tense and mirrored exactly what Lance was thinking right now. “Pidge we need a plan now.” 

 

“We don’t have one yet!” Pidge replied almost instantly. 

 

“Not an option.” Keith responded through clenched teeth. The buzzing had grown louder and Lance could see the faint green light in the distance. “Give me whatever you got.”

 

“Okay.” Pide said urgently. “So all we have so far is that quintessence gives it power so if you can find a way to suck the quinessence out of it it’ll lose power. A-at least we think. We have no idea how to actually do that yet, though!” 

 

The green light was growing brighter and Lance could feel the sweat rolling down his face. It was almost here. They had to make a decision and they had to make it now. Either they stay and fight with little hope of survival or they run and Lance’s chance of survival diminished. Who knew if they would be able to find it again?

 

Lance already made his decision. Only one option made sure Keith was going to be okay. 

 

“Keith, we need to go.” Lance said quietly, trying to make his voice steady. “We can’t take this thing down yet.”

 

“I’m not leaving.” Keith replied stubbornly. 

 

“Don’t be stupid. You’re just going to get yourself killed. I can’t let you die.” Lance said desperately. 

 

Keith turned to face Lance, his face illuminated by the green light that had grown even brighter. Lance had expected to see fire in his eyes but was surprised to see his expression soft. “And I can’t let you die. If one of us is making it out of this it’s gonna be you. We can’t waste anymore time. I have to try.” 

 

“But...you promised. You said you wouldn’t leave. Not ever.” Lance felt like someone had grabbed hold of his heart and ripped it out of his chest. He couldn’t live a life without Keith. 

 

“I know…” Keith said softly, not looking at Lance. “I’m sorry…”

 

Lance saw Keith grip his sword and then take off down the hall towards the green light.

 

“Keith!” He yelled after him desperately, wanting nothing more than to chase after him.

 

And who was stopping him?

 

Lance clenched his teeth together and took off after Keith. He wasn’t going to stand idly by while Keith risked his life. That just wasn’t the way he operated. The buzzing grew louder and the light brighter. Lance could see Keith a ways in front of him. He watched as Keith rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks, not even bothering to raise his sword.

 

Lance pushed his legs faster, needing to get to Keith as quickly as possible. He watched as Keith took a few shaky steps backwards and raised his hand to shield himself from the light.

 

Lance ran the few last steps to Keith’s side, scared that any moment he’d see Keith turn into a pile of dust. As he caught up to Keith he turned his head to see the source of the green light and he felt like the floor had dropped out from underneath him. 

 

Lance now understood what the cause of the buzzing was. He had expected a horrifying creature, maybe with two heads or giant fangs or something. What he got was none of that. No, the creature...or creatures he should say in front of him were far more terrifying. The best way he could describe it was a giant swarm. Inside the sickly green light were billions of tiny flying metallic insects that bared an uncanny resemblance to wasps. They flew in seemingly random directions within the center of the green light and it took Lance another moment to realize that the green light was coming from the insects themselves. Where Lance would assume their eyes should’ve been were two green glowing orbs, emitting far more light than he would have thought possible. 

 

Fear gripped him and he fought the urge to turn and run. He risked a glance in Keith’s direction and saw that Keith once again looked like he was ready to attack it. 

 

“Don’t!” Lance said quickly, knowing Keith too well at this point. “We don’t even have a plan!” 

 

“I do.” Was all Keith said before he ran at the swarm, sword raised. The swarm made no attempt to move at his advance. With a slight yell Keith slashed at the the swarm. Lance watched in horror as the swarm suddenly shifted from its random patterns to a unified group, all darting for Keith. Keith’s arm stopped in the middle of the green light, not even able to complete its full swing. The swarm encircled Keith’s hand and he heard Keith let out a pained scream, dropping his sword in the process.

 

Lance seemed to wake up at Keith’s scream. He raised his blaster as best he could and fired a few times at the swarm. He had expected to hit at least part of the swarm but was shocked to see the swarm completely absorb his shots. It dawned on him a moment too late that his weapon was useless. His blaster shot quintessence!

 

The swarm had started to work it’s way up Keith’s arm, causing Keith to yell in pain again. Lance didn’t know what to do. What could he do? He was weaponless and Keith was going to die if he didn’t do something! 

 

Without thinking Lance charged the swarm, hoping to distract it enough to let Keith go. To Lance’s horror he saw a small detachment from the swarm around Keith break off and head straight for Lance. In an instant Lance felt something solid hit his chest and send him flying backwards. He landed hard on the ground, the wind being knocked out of him. 

 

He coughed a few times and struggled to get back up. He heard Keith scream in pain again. Lance quickly found Keith with his gaze and saw that the swarm was now encircling not only his arm but also his chest. 

 

“Keith!” Lance shouted. “Hold on! I’m coming!” 

 

“No!” Keith yelled at him before he could move. “Get outta here!” 

 

“I won’t leave you!” Lance replied, desperation the only sound in his voice. He started running towards the swarm again. He didn’t know what he was going to do but he was going to save Keith. 

 

Just like the time before he was hit in the chest again. He found himself flying backwards again except this time he felt his back hit a wall. His head snapped back, hitting the wall hard. He fell to the ground, his vision blurry. He tried to stay awake. He had to save Keith...he had...he had to...save...Keith…

 

Lance was pulled into the darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!   
> I'm proud to say that with the addition of this chapter this fic is now over 30,000 words. Not that any of you would know this, but that was the goal I set when I started writing this. So yeah, I'm super pumped about that.   
> I think that by now you all know that any and all feedback is greatly appreciated so I won't say it.   
> Stay safe and I'll see ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	16. Signs of Life

“Lance? Keith? Guys? Answer me!”

 

Lance slowly opened his eyes to the sound of Pidge yelling in his ear.

 

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

 

“I’m here, Pidge.” Lance said, struggling to remember what happened.

 

“Oh thank god. I thought I lost you.” Came Pidge’s reply.

 

Lance was slumped against a wall and his entire body hurt. He stretched his limbs a little to loosen them up before attempting to stand. It was painful but eventually he was on his feet.

 

“Can’t get rid of me that easily.” He joked lightly.

 

“Apparently not.” Pidge said in a happy tone. “Is Keith with you?”

 

“Keith?” Lance asked, scanning his eyes around the deserted hallway he was in despite the fact he couldn’t see very far in the darkness. Keith wasn’t here.

 

_Keith wasn’t here!_

 

Memories of the moments before Lance had passed out came flooding back to him. Lance struggled with turning his flashlight on for a minute, finally having to use his nose. With his light Lance looked around frantically, hoping that he would see the red paladin somewhere in the dark hallway. He swept his light across the floor and his heart leapt when it landed on something red. The moment was short lived though when he realized it was the red bayard. It was on the ground where Keith had dropped it but there was no sign of Keith himself.

 

He was alone.

 

Lance felt something grip at his heart. It was a pain he’d never felt before and it hurt ten times worse than any flesh wound. He felt his still sore knees go weak and he didn’t even try to remain standing. He fell to his knees with a short cry.

 

Keith was gone. Lance had failed him. How could he let something like this happen? How could he let Keith slip through his fingers so easily? Lance felt water building in his eyes and he let the tears flow freely in hopes that it would alleviate some of the unbearable pain in his chest.

 

“Lance?” He heard Pidge ask, having probably heard Lance’s cry. “Lance, where’s Keith?”

 

It was a moment before Lance could answer. He didn’t want to say it, but it was his reality now and Pidge deserved to know. “Gone.” He finally choked out. “He’s gone. That...swarm got him.” Fresh tears started spilling down his face.

 

Pidge didn’t say anything for a moment and Lance was almost afraid to hear their response. “Is he...Is he just a pile of dust?” Pidge finally asked softly, a slight quiver to their voice.

 

Dust? Lance didn’t think he’d seen any dust around. It was just him in this hallway. Lance, suddenly hopeful, shot back up to his feet and looked around. He swept his flashlight beam over the floor again, searching the entire area but finding nothing.

 

“Pidge, there’s no dust.” He finally said over the comm, his voice excited. “Pidge! There’s no dust!”

 

“No dust?” They asked.

 

“No dust!” Lance practically shouted, his voice echoing down the hallway. “He must still be alive!” Lance felt the weight lift off his chest and relief wash over him.

 

“Wait, if he’s not dead then where is he?” Pidge asked practically.

 

“I don’t know.” Lance admitted. “But I think the swarm has him.”

 

“You keep mentioning a swarm. What swarm are you talking about?”

 

“The green light.” Lance answered. “It’s actually a terrifying swarm of metal wasp thingys.”

 

“That doesn’t make sense.” Pidge said, confused. “Everything in the data we got from the galra base refers to one singular being.”

 

“I know what I saw.” Lance replied. “It was a swarm if I ever saw one. But that’s not important right now. Until I see a pile of Keith dust I’m going to assume he’s alive and that swarm has got him. I’ve got to rescue him.”

 

“That’s heroic and all, Lance, but you don’t even know where he is.” Pidge said.

 

Lance felt his spirits fall a little. “You’re right. He could literally be anywhere on this ship. There’s gotta be someway to figure out where it took him.”

 

“Also, why it took him.” Pidge chimed in. “Everything we know about this thing says that it should’ve killed him right then and there. I’m not complaining but by all rights Keith should be a pile of dust right now.”

 

Lance thought for a moment. “It also left me alive.” He realized out loud. “I was out cold. It could’ve killed me no problem but I’m still kicking.”

 

“What reason would it have for leaving both of you alive but only taking Keith?”

 

“Maybe it needs Keith for something.” Lance said, mostly grasping at straws.

 

“That still doesn’t answer the question of why you’re alive.” Pidge pointed out.

 

Lance sighed. “I don’t know, Pidge. All I know is that I have to get Keith back before that thing kills him.”

 

“And how’re you gonna do that?”

 

Lance didn’t have an answer aside from wandering around until he heard the buzzing. He knew that wasn’t a realistic plan though.

 

“Putting that aside for the moment,” Pidge continued after Lance didn’t respond. “Coran and I have come up with an idea on how to beat that thing once you find it.”

 

Lance perked up at that, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for the first time since he had decided to keep the field up. “Really? How?”

 

“Well, I told you already that if we could find a way to suck the quintessence out of it the thing would lose power. The only problem is where are you gonna find a quintessence sucking machine on a dead galra ship?”

 

Lance thought for a moment but was drawing a blank. “Where?” He finally asked.

 

“How about the only large scale vacuum on this entire ship?” Pidge said, a hint of pride in their voice.

 

“The power source!” Lance said, the solution becoming clear as day.

 

“Exactly.” Pidge replied. “Using the data I pulled from that console earlier Coran and I think there’s a way to hook it up to your bayard. After that all you’d have to do is point and shoot...or suck I guess...because it’s like a vacuum?”

 

“Pidge you’re a genius!”

 

“And don’t you forget it.” Pidge replied smoothly. “If that thing really has Keith I think the best thing to do is get to the power source so you actually have a way of saving him when you find him.”

 

“Agreed.” Lance said, determination in his voice. “I’m headed there now.”

 

“Oh and one more thing.” Pidge said, their voice becoming serious. “You don’t have a lot of time left.”

 

Lance glanced down at the cast on his arm and his stomach twisted when he saw the cracks had grown even larger and pieces had started to chip off. “How long?” He asked.

 

“About two hours.” Pidge replied.

 

Two hours? Was that going to be enough time to get back to the power source and then find the swarm and save Keith? Lance wasn’t sure but that didn’t matter. At least one of them was making it off this ship alive and if Lance had anything to say about it, it would be Keith.

 

“I guess I’ve got no time to lose.” Lance said and went to pick up Keith’s bayard. He put it away, deciding to keep his blaster out. He knew that it was useless against the swarm but having it out made him feel better, like he wasn’t currently stranded in a nightmare. “It’s going to take me awhile to find that room again. I’ll let you know when I’m there.”

 

“Sounds good.” Pidge replied. “I’ll keep trying to get ahold of Keith over the comms. I’m also gonna update Shiro. See ya.”

 

Lance heard the comm go dead and he was all alone. Lance took a few deep breaths before starting down the hallway. He felt uneasy walking down the deserted halls despite the fact that he knew that there weren’t any galra left to attack him and he could hear the swarm coming from a long ways away.

 

More than anything, though, Lance was worried about Keith. He didn’t actually know if Keith was alive or not. He wanted to believe he was alive. He did believe he was alive. The thought of Keith being dead hurt too much to dwell on. All Lance wanted was to see him again, to hear his voice again, to feel his warmth again. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that happened.

 

Lance walked through the empty halls at a quick pace, vaguely knowing where he was going. His muscles still ached from being thrown against the wall and there was a slight pounding in his head. He ignored all of it. He would take this pain and so much more if it meant finding Keith.

 

He kept running through the questions surrounding the reason he wasn’t dead in his head. Even if Lance assumed that Keith was still alive because the swarm needed him for something that still didn’t explain why he was alive. Maybe it forgot about him? But that didn’t seem likely. Maybe Keith had something to do with him being alive. He didn’t actually know what had happened after he was knocked out. There was also what Pidge had said, the swarm being referred to as a singular being. Why would the galra call it a singular being if it wasn’t? None of it made any sense.

 

Lance sighed to himself. He guessed he’d just have to wait and find out.

 

\-----

 

Keith heard beeping. It was a steady sound and at first Keith thought he was in a hospital. But that couldn’t be right. He was trapped on a galra ship with Lance. So what was that beeping?

 

It suddenly clicked in his mind. He knew exactly where he was. He also knew what had brought him here. Keith kept his eyes closed and his breathing steady. He could buy himself some time if it didn’t know he was awake.

 

Keith’s right arm felt numb, like it had fallen asleep but he knew what had really caused it…

 

\-----

 

Keith watched as Lance was thrown against a wall.

 

“Lance!” He screamed and watched in horror as Lance fell to the ground and didn’t move.

 

Keith’s body felt like it was on fire. He tried to pull himself away from the swarm but he couldn’t break free. It was like he was pulling against metal. Out of desperation he turned his gaze back to where Lance sat slumped against the wall, still not moving.

 

“Lance, please wake up! Lance!” His voice was hoarse and cracked a little at his franticness. Lance still didn’t move.

 

Keith could feel the swarm around his neck now, choking him. He could feel the life being squeezed out of him. His lungs burned with the lack of air and Keith’s vision started to blur.

 

A voice seemed to echo through his head. It resembled the buzzing that Keith could hear all around him. It kept repeating the same thing over and over again.

 

_“I need you.”_

 

Keith didn’t understand what it meant. It was too loud and Keith hurt too much. Keith was sure he was going to die until the voice said something different.

 

_“Freedom.”_

 

Suddenly Keith understood. It did need Keith and Keith needed Lance to survive. He saw only one option.

 

With all the air left in his lungs he managed to choke out a few words, “Help...if he...lives…”

 

The swarm seemed to understand him but it didn’t loosen its grip around Keith’s neck. Keith could feel himself being pulled under.

 

He glanced one last time at Lance, praying that he was going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I have some good but sad news. We're heading into the home stretch of this fic as you could probably guess. I'm not positive how many more chapters there are gonna be yet. At least two...maybe even three depending on certain things. Hell, I could even picture it having four. I'm also gonna write an epilogue because why not?  
> Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.  
> Stay safe and I'll see ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	17. Terrible Choices

Keith was pretty sure he was alone in the room. He would be able to hear the buzzing if the swarm were around. He needed to find Lance and soon. Lance was running out of time and Keith had just left him in that hallway. He knew it was for Lance’s own good but he still couldn’t help but feel guilty.

 

Keith decided to risk it. He sat up and he opened his eyes. It took him a moment for the room to come into focus. His chest felt heavy and he found it a little hard to breath. He couldn’t let that slow him down though. He pushed himself to his feet, groaning slightly. 

 

“Pidge…” He said.

 

There was no response. Keith reached up to check his helmet to find that all he felt was his hair. Where did his helmet go? Keith scanned the room with his eyes but he didn’t see it. 

 

Great. He had no way of contacting Pidge or Lance and he weaponless. This is not how he pictured this mission turning out. 

 

_ “You’re awake.” _

 

Keith jumped at the sudden voice in his head. He spun around, searching for the swarm. Was it here? He still couldn’t hear any buzzing. The room still appeared empty. 

 

“Show yourself!” Keith demanded. 

 

_ “Look up.” _ Came the reply. 

 

Keith’s head snapped up and he stumbled back in surprise. He had expected to see a green light and a swarm of wasp looking things. Instead what he saw was much more horrifying. 

A six-legged creature was attached to the ceiling of the large room. It had large insect wings and a set of pincers on what Keith assumed was the head. It looked like a larger version of the tiny insects that had made up the swarm. 

 

“What are you?” Keith asked.

 

_ “I am hungry.” _ It replied cryptically. Keith felt his palms start to sweat and his instincts screamed at him to run. 

 

“What do you want?” 

 

_ “Freedom.” _ It replied and Keith watched in horror as it’s entire body seemed to break apart. Keith had to shield his eyes as a bright green light filled the room. Where the creature had just been there was now the swarm Keith was familiar with. The buzzing filled the room and he had to resist the urge to cover his ears. The swarm descended towards Keith and he found himself involuntarily taking a few steps backwards. When the swarm reached the ground it shot past Keith and reformed the terrifying creature from before next to the only working console in the room.   _ “You can give it to me.” _

 

Keith looked at his hand, knowing full well that it was correct. “How do you know that?” 

 

_ “I tasted your quintessence.” _ It said. It took a few steps closer to Keith and he felt a shiver go up his spine. Hearing this thing in his head was unsettling. It felt like his mind wasn’t his own anymore.  _ “I tasted the galra in you.” _

 

“And if I refuse?” Keith asked, already knowing the answer. 

 

_ “If you value his life you won’t refuse.” _

 

Keith glared at the creature in front of him. His mind told him that there was no way he could set this thing free. Who knows how many people it would kill. His heart told him that he couldn’t let this thing kill Lance. How could he face the others after that? 

 

_ “What’s your decision?”  _ It asked. 

 

Keith took a deep breath, knowing there was really only one choice he could make. He knew that right now that thing didn’t know where Lance was and there was no guarantee that it could find him again. Keith had to take that risk.  “I’m sorry Lance…” He muttered to himself before raising his fists and charging the creature. 

 

\-----

 

Lance tried to not look at his left arm but that was easier said than done. Feeling had slowly started coming back to his arm; the numbing medicine no doubt was starting to wear off. So far the pain wasn’t too bad, just a dull throbbing. Lance knew, however, that wouldn’t last. The closer the deadline got the more painful it was going to get. It was one of the reasons he needed to hurry. 

 

Lance knew he had to be getting close to the power source. He’d been walking for awhile, doing his best to retrace his and Keith’s steps. Any moment now he expected to hear the beeping that had led them to the power source the first time. Or at least he hoped. He could’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere and was nowhere near it. Lance tried not to dwell on that possibility too much. 

 

Lance needed something to distract him so he did the only thing he could think of. 

 

“Pidge!” He yelled into the comm. Scaring Pidge always cheered him up. 

 

“When you get back, McClain, you better sleep with one eye open!” Came Pidge’s immediate response. Lance couldn’t help chuckling to himself a little. Classic Pidge. “What do you want?” 

 

“I was thinking-”

 

“A dangerous task for you, I’m sure.” Pidge interrupted.

 

“Okay, rude.” Lance replied, not really offended. He knew Pidge well enough by now to know that their teasing was a sign of love...or that’s what Hunk told him at least. “I was thinking about what happens after I suck all the quintessence outta the swarm.” 

 

“I thought you were referring to that thing as Greengory.” Pidge said, not actually sounding interested. 

 

“It can be called by its proper name when it gives me my Keith back. Until then, it’s the swarm.” Lance replied casually.

 

Pidge let out a laugh. “ _ Your  _ Keith?” 

 

“Well...I-I mean…” Lance suddenly found himself flustered. “He’s...my teammate so he’d be...mine?” 

 

“Wow.” Pidge said, sounding done but slightly amused. “This is painful to listen to.”

 

“Shut up!” Lance said hotly. “I’m trying to make a point here!”

 

“Fine, fine. What’s your point?” 

 

“What happens after I suck the quintessence out?” Lance asked. 

 

“I don’t follow.” Pidge replied. 

 

“Okay, let’s say that I get to the power source, hook my bayard up, find the swarm, and suck it’s quintessence out. Then what? Will the swarm be dead? Or will it just not have any power? What am I supposed to do if it can still fight? I can’t shoot it, my blaster fires quintessence. That’d just be counterproductive and I don’t think the sword would work well against the swarm either. I mean it’s a sword...against a swarm of tiny metal wasp things.” Lance hadn’t even noticed it but he had started to get himself worked up.

 

“Lance...” Pidge said but Lance didn’t hear them.

 

“And what if Keith isn’t with the swarm. We need him to shut down the field.”

 

“Lance.”

 

“And what if he is there but his arms are ripped off so he can’t shut down the field!” 

 

“Lance!” Pidge screamed into the comm, effectively shutting Lance up. “Holy fuck get ahold of yourself. Keith’s arms are going to be fine.” 

 

Lance felt his face grow warm, realizing how ridiculous he must have sounded. “Sorry…” He muttered. 

 

Pidge sighed. “It’s fine...but to answer your question, I don’t know what’ll happen. Maybe sucking all the quintessence out of it will kill it, maybe not. If not, then we’ll just have to figure out what to do when the time comes.”

 

“I guess you’re right…” Lance admitted although it didn’t settle the churning in his stomach. 

 

“And…” Pidge paused, sounding like they weren’t sure if they really wanted to continue. “I wouldn’t worry about Keith too much. He’s pretty good at taking care of himself.” 

 

Lance couldn’t help but smile at that. “Thanks, Pidge…” Lance rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. He listened for a moment to make sure he wasn’t just going crazy but no, he definitely heard a faint beeping. “Pidge!” He said excitedly and started sprinting down the hall towards it. “Pidge I can hear the power source. I’m almost there!” 

 

“Okay, when you get there all you have to do is pick one of those wires that’s connected to the source and disconnect it-”

 

“Disconnect it? Won’t that shut the field down?” Lance asked between breaths. 

 

“It shouldn’t. At worst one of the airlock seals might shut down.” Pidge replied. “After you’ve done that all you have to do is connect it to your blaster.” 

 

“How do I do that?”

 

“There’s should be a small port on the underside of your blaster. With luck it’ll be compatible.”

 

“What? Really?” Lance said, glancing down at the blaster still hanging by his side in surprise. 

 

“Honestly, Lance, you should try being a little more observant.” 

 

Lance was going to reply but he rounded a corner and saw the door to the power source room open. That wasn’t right. Lance was pretty sure they’d closed the door on their way out. Actually, he was positive. He had marked the door with an “X”. 

 

Lance approached the room cautiously, his muscles tense and his breathing coming out in pants. As he got closer he was expecting to hear the bone-chilling buzzing but all he heard was the beeping of the power source. 

 

When Lance reached the doorway he peered inside, not wanting the swarm to know he was there if it was in there. Lance didn’t see the swarm or the green light but he did see Keith lying on the ground by the console. 

 

“Keith!” He yelled, all thoughts of caution thrown out the window. He darted through the doorway and quickly crossed the room to Keith’s side. Lance knelt next to Keith, relieved when he saw that he was still breathing. His face was covered in scratches that hadn’t been there the last time Lance saw him. “Keith?” He shook Keith’s shoulder lightly with his right hand. “Keith, wake up!” 

 

To Lance’s relief Keith’s eyes slowly opened. “Lance?” He said slowly.

 

“I’m here.” Lance said softly. 

 

“No!” Keith said suddenly, sitting up quickly and making Lance fall backwards. “You shouldn’t be here!” 

 

“What? Why-” Lance wasn’t able to finish his question. He saw the shadow a second before he felt something grab him by the shoulders, lifting him off the ground. He felt the wind rush past him as he was flung across the room. He wasn’t surprised though when he felt his back slam against something hard. This thing really liked to throw him into walls. 

 

This time, though, he didn’t fall to the ground. He was held in place by some sort of arm. Lance struggled to get away from it but it’s hold was like iron. Lance saw for the first time what had grabbed him and he shouted in surprise at the giant fucking wasp that was currently pinning him to the wall. 

 

“Let him go!” He heard Keith yell and Lance shifted his gaze from the creature to Keith who was now standing, a furious look on his face. 

 

_ “Set me free or he dies.”  _

 

Lance shivered at the voice that was suddenly in his mind. He felt something cold and metal touch his throat and Lance felt his insides twist in fear. Lance didn’t want to die. He really didn’t but he also knew that his life wasn’t worth the countless lives this thing would kill if it escaped. 

 

“Don’t set it free!” Lance shouted at Keith. “I’m not worth it!” 

 

Lance saw Keith look at him, pain present on his face. “I can’t…” He said just loudly enough for Lance to hear. 

 

“Don’t!” Lance yelled.

 

_ “Do it now!”  _ The voice demanded, shoving Lance into the wall a little harder. 

 

Keith looked at Lance one more time before turning towards the console and raising his hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> It's been some time since I mentioned it so I just want you guys to know that I love love love LOVE all of your comments! They make writing this even more fun for me. It just makes me so happy that you guys love this fic. There has been so much more support for it than I originally thought there was going to be and that is fantastic. Thank you all!  
> As you can guess from the paragraph above, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.  
> Stay safe and I'll see you next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	18. Endgame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!!!  
> There is blood in this chapter.
> 
> ~Redjay

Keith didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t imagine a world where Lance wasn’t alive. He had sworn to protect Lance, to make sure he got out of here alive. The thought of returning to the castle without Lance was unbearable. There was so much he needed to tell Lance still. So much he wanted to experience with Lance. He couldn’t let him die.

 

Lance deserved to live and Keith would do anything to make sure that happened. Keith went to place his hand on the console, praying that Lance would forgive him.

 

The console went dark.

 

“What?” Keith said in confusion. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

 

“Thank you, Pidge!” He heard Lance yell from across the room.

 

Keith turned to face Lance and the creature again. It was still holding Lance against the wall but this time Keith saw something new. In Lance’s right hand he was holding the red bayard. Keith’s bayard. With a flick of his wrist he tossed it a little ways and it landed with a clang and skidded to the middle of the room.

 

Keith didn’t think. He didn’t have to. He darted forward, grabbing his bayard and taking out his sword. He squared his shoulders and faced the creature, holding the sword up to his own neck.

 

“Unless you want your only chance of freedom dead you’ll let him go!” He demanded, staring at the creature.

 

It was silent, not moving. Keith didn’t move either. The coldness of his blade was resting against his neck, making each breath he took feel dangerous.

 

“I’ll do it!” Keith shouted at it.

 

Again it didn’t respond but slowly lowered Lance to the ground. As soon as Lance’s feet touched the ground he scrambled away from the creature and to Keith’s side. Keith felt a hundred times better with Lance at his side. He didn’t lower his sword though, wanting to keep the creature at bay as long as possible.

 

“I’ve got a plan.” Lance said quietly from his side.

 

“What do you need?” Keith asked.

 

“Time.” Lance said. “Think you can distract it?”

 

“No problem.” Keith said. “You’ve got as much time as you need.” And with that Keith removed his sword from his throat and darted forward. He rushed the creature, trying his best to not think about how well this worked for him last time.

 

\-----

 

Lance turned away from where Keith was facing off with the creature. He didn’t know if that creature and the swarm were the same thing but he didn’t have time to think about that. He ran to the nearest wire he could find and followed it back to the wall where it was plugged in. He could hear the sound of metal against metal as Keith did his best to hold off the creature. Lance didn’t turn around though. He had no time to waste.

 

The pain in his left arm had grown almost unbearable. He was running out of time and he knew it. He clenched his teeth and focused on the task at hand.

 

He pulled the plug from the wall with a little effort. He kneeled down and with a slight struggle he managed to find the port on the underside of the blaster that Pidge mentioned. He plugged the wire into to, thanking whatever power was out there that it fit.

 

Smiling to himself Lance stood back up, blaster at his side and finger on the trigger. “Okay, Pidge. It’s plugged in.”

 

“Just a second…” Pidge said into the comm. “Aaaaaaand there we go! Now, go kick Greengory’s alien ass!”

 

“You got it!” Lance yelled and ran towards the creature.

 

Keith was on the ground, having been knocked down by the creature. Lance watched Keith stand back up, his legs shaking a little. Hold on, Keith. He was coming.

 

When he was close enough Lance stopped and aimed at the creature. “This is for taking MY KEITH!” Lance yelled and pulled the trigger, not caring if Keith heard him or not.

 

Lance was forced back a few steps as the force of the vacuum kicked in. Lance watched as what looked like green balls of light started to emerge from the creature and enter Lance’s blaster.

 

The creature let out a terrible screech in his mind and it took everything in Lance to not drop his blaster and cover his ears. But he stood firm, he wasn’t going to let this creature hurt Keith or anyone else ever again.

 

In the creature’s desperation it morphed into the swarm Lance had encountered before and charged Lance. It was too quick for Lance, and he wasn’t able to dodge its advance. Lance was pushed off his feet and landed on his back, his helmet coming off in the process.

 

“Shit!” He said as he rolled to his stomach, trying to spot the swarm.

 

“Lance!” Keith yelled from somewhere behind Lance.

 

Lance tried to stand but pain shot up his left arm and he fell to his knees, clutching his left arm to his chest. The cast was still on, barely, but the pain was too much for Lance.

 

“Lance!” Keith yelled again, sounding closer to Lance. Lance glanced up, searching for Keith. He was next to Lance, sword in hand. With a careful swipe he cut the hose that was still hanging around his neck and Lance felt the weight of his blaster drop.

 

“Just hold on.” Keith said softly. “I’ve got this.”

 

\-----

 

Keith grabbed Lance’s blaster from the ground and raced towards where the swarm was reforming itself into the creature again. Keith raised the blaster as he got close and shot the vacuum at the creature.

 

He heard the creature’s shrieks in his head again but he didn’t budge. This thing was going down and it was going down now. It faced Keith and started to charge him but Keith stood his ground.

 

Keith watched as the creature grew closer, desperately trying to stop Keith. As it got within feet of Keith it broke apart but not in the way Keith was used to. Instead of a swarm, Keith saw a cloud of green dust rise and explode in front of him. He flinched back, covering his eyes with his arm as it enveloped him.

 

As the dust started to settle Keith realized he couldn’t hear the screaming in his head anymore. Did they do it? Was it dead?

 

Keith looked around at the dust falling to floor, a feeling of relief spreading over him. He almost didn’t believe it. They had survived. They had won.

 

“We...did it.” He heard Lance say weakly from behind him. Keith turned to see Lance kneeling on the ground, arm clutched to his chest, smiling up at Keith. Keith dropped Lance’s blaster and rushed to Lance.

 

“Did it break?” Keith asked, kneeling in front of Lance and looking down at his arm.

 

“Not yet.” Lance replied. “But I don’t think it has much longer...looks like we made it just in time.” Lance smiled softly at Keith despite the pain he was in and Keith couldn’t help himself.

 

Acting on impulse, Keith leaned forward and captured the blue paladin’s mouth with his own. He thought Lance would pull away, disgusted with Keith, but was surprised to feel Lance settle into the kiss. His lips were softer than Keith had imagined and the feeling set Keith’s veins on fire. It was a gentle, warm kiss and Keith poured all of his feelings for Lance into it. He felt Lance place a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. Keith couldn’t think beyond the feeling of Lance’s lips against his. He didn’t want this moment to end. He just wanted it to be Lance and him right here for the rest of forever and he didn’t know how but he could tell that’s exactly what Lance wanted too.

 

But life didn’t work like that so Keith reluctantly pulled away, resting his forehead on Lance’s. He could feel Lance’s breath brush his face. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that…” Keith said quietly.

 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you to do that…” Lance replied, just as quiet.

 

Keith smiled, his heart pounding against his ribcage. “Let’s go home.” He said after a few moments.

 

“Home.” Lance said softly. “Sounds good.”

 

\-----

 

Lance watched from the floor as Keith stood by the console, Lance’s helmet on his head.

 

“Okay, Pidge. We’re ready for a pickup.” Keith said. Lance couldn’t hear Pidge’s response but he didn’t really care right now. Keith had kissed him.

 

_Keith had kissed him!_

 

It was all Lance could hope for and more. Lance couldn’t believe how incredibly lucky he was. They had survived this nightmare and now he got to return home...return home with Keith. He couldn’t be happier.

 

Lance felt a new pain shoot up his arm and he let out a cry. He looked down to see blue shards on the ground, stained with red drops. The cast was broken. They needed to go now.

 

“Keith!” He yelled, clutching the open wound on his arm in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.

 

Keith turned from where his hand was resting on the console. “Lance! Pidge, I need a pickup point now!”

 

Lance tried not to look at the blood streaming down his arm and onto his hand. He could feel his vision start to go blurry and it was all he could do to not cry out with pain again.

 

And suddenly Keith was there. “Can you stand?” Keith asked urgently. Lance shook his head, not trusting himself to open his mouth and not scream. “Be ready, Pidge. We’re coming.” Keith said, his voice steady. “I need you to hold on.” Keith said softly to Lance. “Can you do that?”

 

Lance nodded and then felt Keith grab Lance’s right arm and position it over his shoulder. Lance held on and felt himself being lifted from the ground. “Stay with me, Lance.” He heard Keith say. He could see enough to know that he was on Keith’s back, his right arm around Keith’s neck and his left one situated between Keith’s back and Lance’s stomach. Keith gripped Lance’s legs and then started to run.

 

“Where to?” He heard Keith say into the comm.

 

Lance still couldn’t hear the response but he prayed that the pickup point was close. He didn’t know how much longer he could stay awake. He was afraid that if he closed his eyes he wouldn’t open them again.

 

Lance wasn’t sure how long it was until Keith stopped moving. Every moment felt like a hundred years to him. When they did, though, Lance looked up to see green but it wasn’t the sickly green that he was used to. This green was a comfort.  

 

“We’re here, Lance. We’re getting off this ship.”

 

“About time…” He mumbled, his head falling back onto Keith’s shoulder. Lance felt a little more movement before he was being set down.

 

“Let’s go, Pidge. He doesn’t have much time.” Keith said from above him.

 

“You got it!” Pidge said.

 

“You have to stay awake, Lance.” Keith said. But Lance couldn’t. The pain was too much and he felt so weak. He wanted to sleep. His limbs were so heavy and he was so tired. “Lance!” Keith’s voice sounded far away and Lance tried to hold onto it.

 

It was no use.

 

Lance closed his eyes.

 

\-----

 

“We’re here!” Pidge yelled, turning in their chair.

 

“Let’s go!” Keith said. The two picked Lance up off the floor and carried him out of the green lion. Shiro and the others were waiting for them and together they managed to get Lance to the infirmary and into a healing pod.

 

Keith held his breath as Coran read the monitor by Lance’s pod. He needed to know that Lance was going to be okay. That he didn’t lose Lance right after he got him.

 

“He’ll be fine. No permanent damage done.” Coran finally said to the group.

 

Keith felt his knees go weak and he didn’t even try to remain standing. He was alive and Lance was alive.

 

Miracles do happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> It's official, folks! There's going to be one more chapter and then an epilogue because I think they deserve it after everything I've put them through. It'll be hard for me to end this but you know what they say: All good things must come to an end.  
> As always any and all feedback is greatly appreciated...even if that feedback is literally you just screaming at me. That's happened a lot...but hey! I still appreciate it!  
> Stay safe and I'll see you next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	19. An Aftermath to Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!!!  
> There is mentions of blood in this chapter. 
> 
> ~Redjay

Keith had found a new home in the infirmary. It had been a week since they had made it off the ship and Keith had spent most of that time sitting next to Lance’s healing pod. At first Shiro and Allura had tried to convince Keith to leave and sleep in his own bed, but Keith refused. Lance could wake up at any time, and Keith needed to be there when that happened. Eventually they had given up and would occasionally bring him meals and check up on him. 

 

Keith had spent some time in a healing pod as well, per Shiro’s insistence. It wasn’t entirely necessary but Shiro said he didn’t want to take any chances. That had been the only night Keith had slept well. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw was that creature and that ship. He saw Lance being held against a wall and telling him he wasn’t worth it. He saw the blood on Lance’s arm and could hear his agonizing screams. 

 

Keith would wake up in a cold sweat, his heart pounding and his mind racing. It would take him a few minutes to remember where he was and that he was safe. Lance was safe. They were both okay. 

 

A few days after their escape Shiro had entered the infirmary to speak with Keith. 

 

“Hey, Keith. Ya got a minute?” Shiro said as he walked through the door. Keith had been cleaning his armor, washing away Lance’s blood stains. Keith looked up from where he had been seated on the floor by Lance’s pod and nodded. 

 

“What’s up?” He asked as Shiro sat down next to him. 

 

“We’re going back to that ship.” Shiro said. 

 

Keith could feel himself physically recoil from Shiro and his mind started to spin. “I-I can’t go back. Not there...not ever.” 

 

Shiro put a hand on Keith’s shoulder to calm him. “Sorry.” He said comfortingly. “I meant “we” as in Hunk, Allura, and I. I wouldn’t make you go back there. Pidge didn’t want to go either.”

 

Keith relaxed a little, taking a few deep breaths before asking, “So why are you guys going?”

 

“Well, you did leave some stuff there.” Shiro pointed out. 

 

Keith had forgotten about that. In his hurry to get Lance off the ship he had elected to leave behind Lance’s blaster and his own helmet. He simply just didn’t have enough hands to carry all of it or the time to actually find his helmet. “I don’t actually know where my helmet is.” Keith said to Shiro. 

 

“I’m sure I can ask Pidge to come up with some way to track its location before we leave.” He replied with a shrug. 

 

“That can’t be the only reason you’re going though, right?” 

 

Shiro nodded. “With some of the ship’s power restored we’re gonna see if there’s any useful data we can find on that creature you guys fought. We’re also going to take some samples of that leftover dust you mentioned. Pidge and Coran want to study it.”

 

“Study it?”

 

“See if they can find out where exactly it came from and if we should be expecting any more of them to show up.” Shiro explained. “If there’s more of them out there we can’t let the galra find them.”

 

Keith understood. He wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of coming face to face with one of those things again but if it meant the fate of the universe, he would do it. “What’re you gonna do about the ship?” Keith asked. 

 

“We can’t let the galra get their hands on anything to do with that creature. We’ll destroy the ship once we’re done.” Keith had to admit that made him feel slightly better. “Well,” Shiro said, standing up. “We better get going.”

 

“Good luck.” Keith said, knowing they weren’t actually going to need it. Shiro only smiled warmly in response and left the room. 

 

The ship had been destroyed for three days now but Keith still felt restless. Like any moment he was going wake up, stuck in the dark hallways again. 

 

Keith was seated with his back resting against Lance’s pod, his arms wrapped around his knees which were tucked against his chest. His head was rested on his knees and he was doing his best to not fall asleep. He really didn’t want to have any more nightmares. 

 

Coran had informed him yesterday that Lance was scheduled to wake up at any moment. At first Keith had been relieved but as time went on and Lance didn’t wake up Keith found he had time to question things. 

 

What if Lance woke up and he didn’t remember what happened between them? Or worse, he did remember and he didn’t feel the same way Keith did? Keith had heard what he said after he had kissed him but Lance was in a lot of pain at the time. He could have been delirious for all Keith knew. These thoughts swirled around Keith’s head, making it impossible for him to be rational.  

 

Keith heard the door slide open and he lifted his head to see Pidge enter, looking as tired as he felt. 

 

“What’re you doing here?” Keith asked.

 

“You’re not the only one who cares about Lance.” Came their reply as they sat down across from Keith, crossing their legs and resting their chin in their hand. Keith didn’t know what to say to that. Lucky for him, Pidge continued talking. “But I’m also here to check on you.”

 

“Me?” 

 

“Yeah, you. You’ve been in here for days. I thought you might be going stir crazy.” 

 

“I’m fine.” Keith said a little too quickly.

 

Pidge narrowed their eyes at them. “Keithy-”

 

“Don’t call me Keithy.”

 

“ _ Keithy _ .” Pidge said a little louder. “You are not fine. What’s going on with you?” 

 

Keith sighed, untucking his knees from his chest and mirroring Pidge’s cross-legged position. Keith hadn’t told anyone yet about the kiss he and Lance had shared on the ship. He decided if anyone deserved to know it was Pidge. “I kissed Lance.” Keith muttered, looking down at his lap instead of at Pidge. 

 

“I knew it!” Pidge shouted, making Keith jump. Keith looked up at Pidge who had a sly smirk on their face. “I told Lance he didn’t have anything to worry about.”

 

“Wait, what?” Keith asked, not sure if he heard Pidge right. 

 

“Lance told me he had feelings for you while you guys were stranded.” Pidge explained, the smirk not falling from their face. “I told him just to go for it. Seems like you beat him to it, though.” 

 

Keith was having a hard time believing what he was hearing. He opened his mouth to question Pidge but they held up their hand to silence Keith. 

 

“Let me guess, you were worried that Lance didn’t really like you in that way and had only kissed you back because you guys were in a fight for your lives?”

 

“Uh...yeah actually…” Keith admitted, feeling a blush grow on his face. 

 

“Dumbass.” Pidge said flatly, reaching over and hitting Keith lightly upside the head. Keith smiled and rubbed his head where Pidge had hit him. Pidge’s way of showing affection could be...painful at times. 

 

“Thanks, Pidge.” Keith said lightly. 

 

“No problem.” Pidge replied. “I’ll always be here to let you know when you’re being stupid.” 

 

Keith laughed a little at that and then said, “Not just for that. I mean, thanks for everything. Without you, Lance and I would still be on that ship, probably dead.” 

 

Pidge looked a little taken aback by Keith’s words. The two were silent for a moment before Pidge lunged forward and wrapped their arms around Keith’s neck. It took Keith a moment to process what was going on, but when he did he didn’t hesitate to return Pidge’s hug. 

 

“I’m really glad you guys are okay.” Pidge said quietly.

 

Keith didn’t say anything in response. He knew he didn’t need to.  

 

\-----

 

Lance opened his eyes. His limbs felt heavy and his mind was fuzzy. It took him a moment to remember where he was.    
  


“Lance?” 

 

Lance knew that voice. That was Keith. Lance forced his legs to move and he stepped out of the healing pod. He felt unbalanced and swayed a little, his legs not used to moving. Lance’s vision was still a little blurry and couldn’t quite find where Keith was until he felt someone grab his arm in an attempt to steady him. Lance turned his gaze towards the person holding him up and blinked a few times. Keith with a slightly concerned expression on his face slowly came into focus.

“Keith?” Lance asked, his voice sounding a little dry. 

 

“I’m here.” Keith replied. “How do you feel?”

 

Lance thought about that for a moment before remembering his left arm. He raised his hand to look at his arm, wanting to make sure that is was still there. It looked like it normally did and Lance was relieved to see there wasn’t even a scar. “Better than good.” Lance responded finally, looking back at Keith. “A little hungry though…” 

 

He heard Keith laugh slightly at that before saying, “Well let’s find you something to eat then. We should also probably let everyone else know you’re awake.” 

 

Lance nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

\-----

 

Hours later Lance sat alone on one of the many observation decks of the castle, thinking back over everything that had happened. He had a hard time believing it had been only over a week since he and Keith had been stranded on that ship. It felt like a lifetime ago. 

 

The others had filled him in on what had happened while he was asleep and he couldn’t say that he was disappointed at the decision to destroy the ship. It had been a place of nightmares for Lance. Even so, though, he wouldn’t forget those memories for a moment. Keith was in those memories. Lance knew that if Keith hadn’t been with him he would be dead right now and he didn’t want to forget that. 

 

Lance also didn’t want to forget how good he felt when Keith kissed him. It was like all the pain he had felt had simply just melted away. Lance wasn’t sure where that left him and Keith. That hadn’t really talked about it yet and to be honest, Lance was dreading the conversation a little...which was part of the reason he was hiding out on this observation deck. 

 

Lance heard the door slide open and turned to see Keith walking into the room. “Speak of the devil…” Lance muttered to himself. 

 

“There you are.” Keith said, sounding relieved. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Keith crossed the room and sat down next to Lance on the floor. 

 

“Sorry...” Lance said, not able to look at Keith. 

 

Keith sighed and shook his head a little. “Don’t be…anyway…” Keith paused and Lance glanced at him long enough to see his cheeks turn slightly red. “I thought...that we should probably talk about what happened.”

 

“Probably…” Lance reluctantly agreed. He couldn’t hide from the conversation forever. Better to just get it over with. 

 

“Pidge told me what you told them on the ship.” Keith started. 

 

“That snitch!” Lance said, standing up in anger. He was about to go give Pidge a piece of his mind when he felt Keith grab his hand and pull him back to the ground. 

 

“Before you go getting into a screaming match with Pidge why don’t you let me finish?” Keith said, not sounding the least bit surprised at Lance’s outburst. 

 

“...Fine.” Lance agreed, still a little irritated. 

 

“When Pidge told me...Lance…” Keith looked at Lance, a soft expression on his face. Lance couldn’t breathe. He knew what he wanted Keith to say but he didn’t think he could ever be that lucky. “...I’d never been happier in my life.” 

 

“You...what?” Lance asked, sure that his ears had been playing tricks on him. Keith’s face was redder than Lance had ever seen. “Keith?”

 

“Please don’t make me say it again…” Keith muttered, covering his face with his hands. 

 

A smile started to form on Lance’s face. He positioned himself so he was in front of Keith and grabbed his wrists, prying his hands away from his face. Lance’s heart did a little flip at the look on Keith’s face. “I’m sorry.” Lance said slyly. “I didn’t hear what you said.” 

 

Keith tried to free his wrists from Lance’s hands, but Lance’s grip was too tight. “I…I…” Seeing Keith this flustered was oddly rewarding and...something else he couldn’t place. Keith took a deep breath before staring Lance directly in the eyes.“I said I’d never been happier!” Keith blurted, his gaze steely. 

 

“...Cute…” Lance mumbled in awe. 

 

“What?” Keith said defensively. “I’m not cu-”

 

Lance didn’t give Keith a chance to finish. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Keith’s in a short, gentle kiss. As Lance pulled away he noticed Keith’s expression had gone from defensive to relaxed. 

 

Lance couldn’t help but laugh a little at that and moved so he was sitting next to Keith again, facing the large window that displayed an endless amount of stars. Lance hesitated only a moment before grabbing Keith’s hand and lacing his fingers with Keith’s. He leaned against Keith just slightly, feeling the familiar warmth and taking in his scent. Lance could feel his heart racing in his chest and he had no doubt as to why. Keith squeezed Lance’s hand just a little and Lance squeezed back, not wanting to ever let go. 

 

Lance stared out at the vastness of space with Keith, feeling something he had certainly never felt before. It was a comfort that had crept up on him and wormed its way into his very being. It caused his breath to catch, his heart to race, his head to spin, and his stomach to churn but Lance wouldn’t give this feeling up for the whole universe. When he was with Keith, he was home. And, Lance had to admit, Keith had been absolutely right about one thing: 

 

Lance had never been happier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Holy shiz, guys! That's the end of the story! I freaking finished it! Yay me! I am still going to write an epilogue which will probably come out sometime tomorrow...or least I hope so. So, look forward to that.   
> As always any and all feedback you are willing and able to give is greatly appreciated.   
> Stay safe and I'll see ya next time!
> 
> ~Redjay


	20. Epilogue

Lance stood on a galra ship, blaster in hand and muscles tense. Lance glanced around him and saw his teammates were looking as tense as he was. Usually he didn’t feel this uneasy when the whole team was together but there was just this feeling Lance couldn’t shake. 

 

“Alright team.” Shiro said. “Let’s-” Shiro suddenly stopped talking, turning to face the far end of the hallway. “Did you guys hear that?” 

 

“Hear what?” Lance asked nervously. 

 

“I heard it.” Hunk confirmed. 

 

“Same.” Pidge said. 

 

“Let’s go.” Shiro said, taking off at a run down the hallway. 

 

“Wait!” Lance called as he watched Pidge and Hunk follow Shiro. “What sound?”

 

“You better hurry, Lance.” A voice came from behind him. He turned to see Keith standing there, an unconcerned look on his face. “You know what that thing can do to people. It’ll kill them, Lance.” 

 

Lance glanced back in the direction the three had run off in. He couldn’t see them anymore. “You mean that...creature is on this ship?” 

 

There was no reply and Lance looked back to see that Keith had vanished.

 

“Keith?” Fear gripped his insides as he realized he was all alone. He forced his legs to move and headed down the hall. He felt like he was barely moving. Like this galra hallway just went on forever. Lance closed his eyes as he ran, trying to stop the swirling in his head.

When he opened them he was suddenly in a large room, looking up at the power source. How did he get here? Lance looked around at the familiar room and his heart stopped when he spotted three piles of dust on the floor in the center of the room. 

 

“You weren’t fast enough, Lance.” Keith said from behind him. Lance jumped and spun around. “You couldn’t save them.”

 

“I...I…” Lance felt the words get stuck in the back of this throat. 

 

“You weren’t even fast enough to save me.” Keith said, an eerie grin on his face. Lance could do nothing but watch in horror as Keith crumbled to dust before his very eyes. 

 

_ “Your turn.”  _

 

Lance felt a shiver run down his spine at the voice in his head. He quickly spun around to see a green light heading straight for him. It was all he could do to raise his arms in front of his face as it enveloped him. 

 

\-----

 

Lance shot up, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He could feel his rapid heartbeat pounding in his chest and his eyes darted around his dark room, looking for the green light.

 

It took Lance a few moments and some deep breathing to remember that he was on the castle. That he was safe. He ran a hand through his hair to try to calm himself down. He should be used to the nightmares by now. 

 

It had been almost a month since he and Keith had been stranded on that ship. Almost a month since they had defeated the creature. Almost a month since Lance had almost died. The nightmares came almost every night. Lance had tried everything to stop them but found that there was only one thing that worked. 

 

He threw the blankets off of him and stood up. He didn’t bother turning on the lights, knowing by heart the route he was going to take. He exited the room, his bare feet cold against the metal ground, and turned right. It was only a short walk to the door that he was looking for. He didn’t even knock, knowing that he didn’t need to. The door slid open easily and Lance entered the room. 

 

He saw Keith open his eyes at the sound of the door opening. Lance was sure Keith had expected it by now. Keith didn’t look mad at being woken up, not that Lance expected him to. Keith didn’t say anything but just held out his arms towards Lance. 

 

Lance didn’t hesitate to cross the room and squeeze next to Keith on the small bed. Keith lay on his back and Lance curled up next to him like he always did, tangling his legs with Keith’s and resting his head on Keith’s chest so he could hear Keith’s heartbeat. It as a soothing sound that helped anchor Lance to the real world. Lance gripped Keith’s shirt in his hands, wanting to hold on and never let go. He felt Keith’s arms wrap around him, one hand gently running fingers through his hair. This was the only place Lance felt completely safe, completely protected from the terrors of the universe.

 

“Nightmares?” Keith asked in the darkness, his voice sounding tired.

 

“Mhm.” Lance replied, already feeling himself drifting off to sleep.

 

Lance felt Keith hold him a little tighter. “I’ve got you.” He whispered. 

 

“I know.” Lance mumbled, a smile on his face. 

 

If Keith said something else Lance didn’t hear him. He was already fast asleep.

\-----

 

Keith entered the dining room the next morning with a sleepy Lance behind him. Keith sat in his usual spot and Lance sat next to him, immediately slouching over and resting his cheek against the cold surface of the table. Pidge and Hunk were already seated at the table, having a conversation about some tech thing Pidge was working on. 

 

“I don’t understand why you get up so early…” Lance whined. 

 

“It’s the equivalent of ten in the morning.” Pidge said, breaking off their conversation with Hunk. 

 

“And it’s not like I forced you to get up with me.” Keith pointed out. 

 

Lance shot up, glaring at Keith. “You kicked me off the bed!” 

 

“I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen.” Keith said, helping himself to the plate of goo in the center of the table. 

 

“I fell on the floor!” Lance shouted, flinging his arms dramatically in the air.

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Keith said. 

 

Lance deflated, leaning back in his chair with an exasperated sigh. “Do you see what I have to deal with?”

 

“You’re not fooling anyone, buddy.” Hunk said. “Out of the two of you I’m pretty sure you’re the more difficult one to deal with.” 

 

“Yeah, sorry Lance.” Pidge said. “I have to agree with Hunk here. You once made me help you sneak out of the garrison because you were in the mood to pet a dog.”

 

“Yeah, and I still stand by that.” Lance said. 

 

“The closest pet shop was fifteen miles away. We had to steal one of the garrison’s dune buggies.” Pidge said flatly. 

 

Lance shrugged. “It was worth it.” 

 

“I rest my case.” Pidge said, standing up from the table. “If you need me, I’ll be with Coran. We think we’re close to figuring out what planet that creature came from.”

 

“You guys are still working on that?” Keith asked, feeling something inside him twist at the mention of it. 

 

“Yeah,” Pidge replied. “Shiro seems really worried that there’s more of them out there. He wants to beat the galra to them if we can. Anyway, see ya.” Pidge turned and left the room.

 

“And I have a date with the oven.” Hunk said, standing up. “I’m going to give it another go at space cookies.” 

 

And with that Lance and Keith were left alone in the dining room. They were silent for a moment before Lance spoke up. 

 

“Do...do you think we’ll have to fight one of those creatures again?” His voice was quiet and worried. 

 

Keith looked at him, his heart twisting at the scared expression on Lance’s face. “Yeah, I do.” He answered honestly. “But, we won’t have to do it alone next time. And besides, we’ll be more prepared.” 

 

“But...what if one of those things kills one of us? What if Shiro or Hunk or...you get turned to dust? What then?” Keith could see Lance start to work himself up.

 

He stood up from the table, grabbing Lance’s hand and pulling him to his feet as well. Without a word Keith led him from the room. Lance didn’t question it, probably too lost in his own worrying. It was a short walk to the bridge of the ship. Keith was relieved to see the room empty when he and Lance entered. 

 

He let go of Lance’s hand and walked over to the console in the center of the room. He tapped it a few times and the then the room was filled with stars. He typed in the coordinates for Earth and watched as the map moved to find it. 

 

“What’re you doing?” Lance asked, confused. 

 

Keith turned to Lance, pointing at the planet he had once called home. “You miss Earth, right? You miss your family?”

 

“Well, yeah of course I do.” Lance said, still sounding confused. 

 

“If Earth was destroyed you’d be upset, right?” 

 

“What kind of question is that? I’d be devastated if something happened to Earth.” 

 

“If the galra get their hands on one of those creatures again I can promise you Earth won’t last more than a month.” Keith said, watching as Lance’s confused expression morphed into one of understanding. Keith kept talking though. “We’re the only ones that can make sure that doesn’t happen.” Keith moved so he was standing in front of Lance and took his hand, holding it between his own. “Is it dangerous? Yes.” Keith lowered his voice to almost a whisper. “Am I scared to face one of those things again? Lance, I’m terrified but…if it means not seeing you heartbroken I’d do anything.” 

 

“Keith...I…” Lance’s face was red. 

 

“I made you a promise that I wasn’t going anywhere. I’ve already broken that promise once. I don’t intend to do it again.” Keith said softly.

 

“Alright.” Lance said just as quietly, his voice gentle. “I’ll hold you to that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I can now say this is officially completed. Am I sad about that? Absolutely. I had so much fun writing it and you guys were so amazing and supportive and I'm just...so happy with the way it turned out. Thank you to everyone who read this. It really just means so much to me.   
> I think it's time for some self-promo. Are you ready? Let's go:  
> If you liked my writing and want to read more of my stuff well, my friend, today is your lucky day. I currently have two Klance one-shots out. They're called Seventh Wheel and You are my Sunshine. They do both have lagnst in them so be prepared for that. But I worked really hard on them and they deserve a lot of love. I know that some of you have already read them and that's amazing but if you haven't you should hop on over and check them out. And if you do that and you're still left wanting more I have a brand new fic out called Dear Keith. It is also Klance and I'm super excited about it. The idea is something I've been playing around with for awhile and I look forward to sharing it with you guys.   
> Okay, I think that's enough of that.   
> I'll end this on a familiar note:  
> Any and all feedback you are willing to give on this epilogue or the story as a whole is greatly appreciated.   
> Stay safe and I hope to see you around!
> 
> ~Redjay


End file.
